Courses

Special Topics in Physics

General

Course Contents

  • Fluid mechanics.
    Stability and buoyancy forces on floating and submerged bodies. Fluid dynamics in real fluids. Equations of continuity and conservation of energy. Mechanical energy loss due to frictional effects. Skin and form-friction effects. Application of Bernoulli’s equation with friction losses. Newtonian and non-Newtonian real fluids.
  • Thermodynamics of real gases.
    Real gas laws. The van der Waals equations for real gases. First law of thermodynamics and conservation of energy. Entropy and second and third law of thermodynamics. Irreversible thermodynamic cycles.
  • Introduction to food preservation.
    Freezing Technology in food processing industry. Fruit and vegetable preservation technology.

Educational Goals

The course aims to achieve the following learning outcomes for students:

  • Acquiring knowledge in the basic physical principles that govern the physical processes during food production and in particular real fluid dynamics, thermodynamics of real gases with irreversible thermodynamic cycles, and mass and energy balances in food engineering with applications in fruit and vegetable preservation technology and freezing technology in food processing industry.
  • Application of Physics in the food industry in the form of computational exercises.

General Skills

  • Analyzing, interpreting and synthesizing special topics in Physics and their applications in food industry. Searching and analyzing information using measurements of physical quantities obtained from experimental studies.
  • Promotion of analytical, creative and inductive thinking.
  • Decision-making.
  • Autonomous work.
  • Teamwork.

Teaching Methods

Face to face:

  • Lectures (theory and exercises) in the classroom.

Use of ICT means

  • Lectures with PowerPoint slides using PC and projector.
  • Notes, solved and unsolved problems in electronic format. Each session involved both a faculty lecture and student participation in problem-solving exercises.
  • Posting course material and communicating with students on the Moodle online platform.

Teaching Organization

ActivitySemester workload
Lectures25
Independent Study25
Total50

Students Evaluation

Evaluation methods:

  • Attendance at class and participation in discussions, and solving exercises in the classroom is rewarded with 20% of the final grade.
  • Written final exams (80% of the final grade).

The evaluation criteria are presented and analyzed to the students at the beginning of the semester and are available at the course website.

Recommended Bibliography

  1. McCabe W., Smith J., Harriott P.: Fundamental Physical Processes of Engineering. 6th Edition, Tziola edition for Greek translation, 2003.
  2. Kay, J. M., Nedderman, R. M. (1974). An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer: With Applications in Chemical and Mechanical Process Engineering: UK Cambridge University Press.
  3. Kraus, A. D., Welty, J. R., Aziz, A. (2012). Introduction to Thermal and Fluid Engineering, Italy: Taylor & Francis.
  4. Pitts D., Sissom L., heat Transfer, Schaum Series, 2nd Edition, Tziolas Publishing for Greek translation, 2001.
  5. Himmelblau D.M., Riggs J.B., Basic Principles and Calculations in Chemical Engineering, 7th Edition, Tziolas Publishing for Greek translation, 2006.
  6. Fryer P.J, Pyle, D.L., Reilly C.D., Chemical Engineering for the Food Industry, Chapman & Hall, 1997.

Related Research Journals

  1. Journal of Experimental Physics.
  2. Journal of Food Engineering.
  3. Journal of Food Processing & Technology.