The main purpose of this study is to determine the convective heat transfer coefficient value by using the methodology of mathematical modeling and numerical simulation associated with the experimental process previously performed, of the forced air precooling of the figs type 'Roxo de Valinhos'. The objective was to compare the result with the one determined by fitting an empirical equation from the literature to the experimental data. For the prediction of the temperature, near to the center of fruits, the Fourier law model was considered. Algorithms employing the finite differences and finite elements methods were implemented for the one-dimensional and three-dimensional models. The establishment of the referred value was performed through the comparison of these simulated data with the experimental data. The resulting values of the two models were coincident and generated a smaller residual value than the one obtained by the empirical equation. Furthermore, the representation of the simulated curve shows that the methodology of the mathematical modeling and numerical simulation is more accurate than the previous one and suitable for this and future work.
numerical simulation; spherical fruits; mathematical model; numerical methods
