DESIGN OF A SCALDING UNIT

Design a scalding unit for slaughtered chicken to loosen their feathers before they are
routed to feather picking machines with a capacity of 1200 chickens per hour under the
following conditions:

The unit will be of immersion type filled with hot water at an average mass of 2.2kg and
an average temperature of 36C will be dipped into the tank, held in the water for 1.5
min, and taken out by a slow-moving conveyor. Each chicken is expected to leave the
tank 15 percent heavier as a result of the water that sticks to its surface. The center-to-
center distance between chickens in any direction will be at least 30 cm. the tank can be
as wide as 3 m and as high as 60 cm. The water is to be circulated through and heated
by a natural gas furnace, but the temperature rise of water will not exceed 5C as it
passes through the furnace. The water loss is to be made up by the city water at an
average temperature of 16C. The ambient temperature can be taken to be 20C. The
walls and the floor of the tank are to be insulated with a 2.5-cm-thick urethane layer.
The unit operates 24 h a day and 6 days a week.

Assuming reasonable values for the average properties, recommend reasonable values
for the quantities related to the thermal aspects of the scalding tank.




I. STATEMENT OF CONDITIONS: DESIGN OF A SCALDING UNIT
Requirements:
Capacity of 1200 chickens per hour
a) Design to pass 4 chickens per set

(in-lined chickens to be pass at a distance of 30 cm center-to-center)
299 x 30 cm = 8,970 cm (total length of the cable)
D = vt
v =

=



v = 2.492 cm/s velocity of the conveyor
At a distance of 30 cm center-to-center
X
30
= vt
t =

=



t = 12.04 s time interval
Length of the tank
L = vt
= (2.492 cm/s) (1.5 min) (


)
L = 224. 28 cm
Width of the tank
a) For 4 chickens per set of pass
W = 2(30) + 2 (30) = 150 cm
II. QUESTIONS

a) The mass flow rate of the make-up water that must be supplied to the tank
b) The length of the tank
c) The rate of heat transfer from the water to the chicken, in kW
d) The velocity of the conveyor and thus the chickens through the tank
e) The rate of heat loss from the exposed surfaces of the tank and if it is
significant
f) The size of the heating system in kJ/h
g) The type of heat exchanger for heating the water with flue gases of the
furnace and the surface area on the water side
h) The operating cost of the scalding unit per month for a unit cost of $ 0.56
therm of natural gas (1 therm = 105,000 kJ) ; ($ 0.56 = P 25.54)
1








1
As of October 8, 2009 ; ($1.0 = P45.60)


III. COMPUTATIONS
a)
Each chicken is expected to leave the tank 15% heavier, but since 4
chickens per set of pass, therefore:
m = 2.2 (0.15) (4) = 1.32 kg
=

=



= 0.11 kg/s mass flow rate

b)
L = 224. 28 cm length of the tank

c)
Q = -k

; at T = 70C = 977.5 kg/m
3

Relative density of chicken and water (at T = 70C)


=

= 977.5 kg/m
3

v = 2.25 x 10
-3
m
3
volume of

chicken
Assume that the body of chicken is to be spherical in shape
V =

r
3
2.25 x 10
-3
m
3
=

r
3

Surface Area

= r
2
= (0.0813)
2

= 0.083m
2
Average thickness of feather to outside layer skin of the chicken 8 mm.
the thickness of skin layer of the chicken is 2 mm. thus, the total (dx) is
10mm or 0.01 m.
Thermal conductivity of the chicken
k = 5 WC
Q = - (5 WC) (0.083m
2
)*
()C

+
= (141.10 W) (
W
W
)
Q = 0.1411 kW the rate of heat transfer from the water
to the chicken in kW, good for 1 chicken only



d)
v = 2.492 cm/s velocity of the conveyor


e)
h = 7.9 W/m
2
K coefficient of heat transfer
= 0.02894 W/m
2
C from water to air
2

= h

T
= (0.02894 W/m
2
C) (1.5m x 3.4428m) (53-20C)

= 4.93 watts

The value of

is too small, thus, it is insignificant.

f)

= C

T
= (0.11 kg/s) (4,190 J/kg C)(70-16C)
= 24,888.6 J/s (

) (

= kJ/hr size of the heating system

2
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g)
1-shell and 6-tube passes heat exchanger
Determining the length of the tube:

Given:
D = 2 cm

= 310 W/m
2
C , for copper

= 24.88 kW
water = 0.11 kg/s
gas = 0.3 kg/s

in
= 16C ; C
p
= 1,120 JgC

n = 6
Solution:

= nDL

max
C
n
= n

= (0.3 kg/s) (1.1204 kJgC)

C
min
= 0.336 kW/C


C
c
= c

= (0.11 kg/s) (4.1852 kJgC)

C
max
= 0.460 kW/C
C =

; C = 0.73

max = C
min
(

in
-

in
)
= (0.336 kW/C) (627-16C)

max = 205.296 kW

max
=



= 0.12
From Fig. 13-26, NTU=0.24 for heat Exchangers
(From Kays and London, Ref. 5)
NTU =

0.24 =
(WC)

= 0.26 m
2

DL
L =

()()

L = 0.69 m
Ltotal = 0.69 m (6)
Ltotal = 4.14 m

h)
Gas Fuel : n-octane C
8
H
18

Air Fuel ratio for the combustion
The combustion equation is
C8 H18 + 12.5 O2 + 12.5 (3.76) N2 8 CO2 + 9 H2O + 47.0 N2
The air-fuel ratio on a mole basisi is

= 59.5 kmolair/ kmo fuel

Assumptions:
400% theoretical air
(Tair & Tfuel) = 25C = entering (in)
T ( )o = 900 K = 627C o = leaving (out)
Specific heat consumption = 0.25 kg/s of fuel /megawatt output
Combustion equation is:
C8 H18(L) + 4(12.5)O2 + 4(12.5)(3.76) N2 8CO2 + 9 H2O + 3.75O2 +118 N2
First Law Analysis of Recovery System
Qc.v. +

o
f +

) = Wc.v +

(

o
f +

)
Since the air is composed at elements and enters at 25C, the enthalpy of the
reactants is equal to that of the fuel

o
f +

) = (

o
f ) C8 H18(L) = -250,105 kJ/kmol fuel




Considering the products;


(

o
f +

) =
C
(

o
f +

)CO2 +

o
f +

) H2O
+

)O2 +

)N2
= 8(-393,522 + 28,030) + 9(-241,826+21,892)
+ 37.5(19,249) + 188(18,222)
= -755,769 kJ/kmol fuel

Wc.v =


x 114.23 kg/kmol
= 456,920 kJ/kmol fuel
Therefore, from the first law
Qc.v. = -755,769 + 456,920 (-250,105)
= - 48,744 kJ/kmol fuel
For 1 month operating cost
Total Operating Cost = 48,744

) (

) (

)
(

) (


) (

)
= P 24,585,426.3 per month
(Enthalpy of Formation and absolute Entropy of various substances at
25 C, 100 kPa Pressure)
3

(

o
f ) C8 H18(L) = - 250,105 kJ/ kmol fuel

3
Sonntag, et.al. Fundamentals Thermodynamics 6
th
ed., Table A.10, Pp.670

Applying the first law to steady state process involving a chemical reaction
and negligible changes in kinetic & potential energy
Qc.v. +

o
f +

) = Wc.v +

(

o
f +

)
Or
Qc.v. + HR = Wc.v + HP
R= reactants
P = Products














IV. REFERENCES

Holman, J.P., Heat Transfer, 8
th
ed.
Sonntag, et.al, Fundamentals Thermodynamics 6
th
ed.
Calculations of the theoretical air-fuel ratio for the combustion of Octane,
C8 H18, Pp.670.
Determination of Heat Transfer from the engine per kilomole of fuel
[C8 H18 ()],Pp.578.
Table A.10,Pp.670
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