Multiphysics simulation at Tetra Pak: making food safe and available

Simulation plays a key role throughout Tetra Pak’s end-to-end food processing and packaging solutions

Processing and packing liquid food products involve several disciplines of physics—fluid, thermal, electro-mechanical. This is precisely why the simulation models developed by Tetra Pak engineers must often combine multiple physics models simultaneously on multiple scales in time and space. By combining leading-edge simulation tools with highly skilled support engineers who know how to apply the tools to their limits, Tetra Pak has turned the complexity into a competitive advantage, with gains in fundamental understanding leading to innovative processes and products.

In collaboration with Siemens Digital Industries Software, Tetra Pak has developed sophisticated models of their processing and packaging systems—models that they use for optimization, validation, and control. In this webinar, Senior Technology Expert at Tetra Pak Ulf Lindblad will present several examples illustrating Tetra Pak’s use of simulation throughout their end-to-end processes –from processing of raw milk, packaging material, filling machines and package performance.

Simulation: a key enabler for tackling the challenges of food safety and availability

Controlling the four classical elements of nature–water (the product), air (clean or sterile), fire (energy) and earth/soil (contaminants)– is an excellent way to think about the challenges of food processing and packaging. The product, most often water-like (but also liquids with complex rheology) often interacts with air, and complex multiphase surfaces need to be controlled. Airflow and air quality need to be mastered in the hygienic and aseptic environment in the filling machines. Required heat flux and energy transport in different operations must be optimized so as not to damage the food products or the packages they will be in. All the while, production must be kept free of contaminants and infection must be hindered. Simulation plays a big role in all these areas, helping Tetra Pak fulfill its mission to deliver food that is safe and available everywhere.

What you will learn in this webinar:

This webinar will provide an overview of the simulation toolsets used by Tetra Pak, and will include several examples illustrating Tetra Pak’s use of simulation throughout their end-to-end processes including:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to assess package performance (minimization of “gulping”)
• CFD simulations to model and control package-filling processes involving fluids with complex rheology (splashing, foaming, after-dripping)
• CFD simulations to optimize the tank- filling sequence for products with high viscosity
• CFD simulations to understand hot water coverage in a stack of packages
• System simulation of the filling system for a tube-filled filling machine

Presenters: