Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Dr. Iyad Fayssal, co- authored a journal article titled “Numerical Simulation of Bread Baking in a Convection Oven”. Currently, Dr. Fayssal is leading a research team, masters and senior mechanical engineering students from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium) and Rafik Hariri University, to develop sophisticated numerical models that mimics the bread baking processes.
The paper, published in Applied Thermal Engineering, reports on the development of a 3D numerical model to simulate the multiphase flow, heat, and mass transfer phenomena in an industrial baking oven.
The models will help in understanding the impact of thermal management on the quality of bread baking and optimizing the energy performance and design of industrial ovens. Bread baking process could be associated with high levels of acrylamide formation, which in turn increases the risk for several types of cancers, besides other pertinent neuro and/or genotoxic properties. The models will thus aid in suggesting optimal thermal management processing conditions and strategies to control the formation of acrylamide that could adversely impact human health.