Carbon Dioxide as Freezing Agent

Carbon Dioxide Flash-Freezing Applied to Ice Cream Production by Teresa Susan Baker
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
B.S. Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING IN
PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
AT THE
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
FEBRUARY 2006

© 2006 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
All rights reserved.

Signature of Author:

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Certified by:

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John G. Brisson II
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Thesis Supervisor
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Accepted by:

Department of Mechanical Engineering
January 20, 2006

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Lallit Anand
Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Students
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Carbon Dioxide Flash-Freezing Applied to Ice Cream Production by Teresa Susan Baker
Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering on January 20, 2006 in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in
Mechanical Engineering

ABSTRACT
Ice cream mix and other liquids are frozen by direct contact with carbon dioxide while carbon dioxide is throttled from a liquid phase to a saturated vapor phase. The process is demonstrated with a proof-of-principle apparatus that freezes discrete batches of mix.
The fluid consumption, power consumption and space requirement of a continuous cycle implementation are modeled. In the proof-of-principle apparatus and the continuous cycle model, the ice cream mix is sprayed into the liquid carbon dioxide using 1.0 GPH
Delavan fuel nozzles; the combined fluid is throttled by 2.0 GPH Delavan fuel nozzles, forming a fine mist during flash-freezing. The pressure at the outlet of the throttle determines the temperature of the saturated carbon dioxide