INTRODUCTION TO FOOD
ENGINEERING
Christine B. Formanes, MSFS
Food Technology Department
Units and Dimensions
Dimension
• used to designate a physical quantity under consideration
(e.g., time, distance, weight).
• physical entity that can be observed and/or measured
• is a basic concept of measurement
Primary/ Fundamental/Basic Dimension
1. Mass- heaviness/ lightness of matter
2. Length- how long or how short
3. Time
4. Temperature- hotness/coldness of matter
5. Amount of substance/ matter present
6. Luminous intensity
7. Electric current
Cont. Units and Dimensions
Unit:
• used to designate the magnitude or size of the dimension under
consideration (e.g., m for length, kg for weight).
• a means of expressing the dimension
Base unit:
• base units are dimensionally independent. They are used to
designate only one dimension (e.g., units of length, mass, and
time).
Derived units:
• a combination of various dimensions.
• expressed by means of multiplication and division
• An example of a derived unit is the unit of force, which includes the
dimensions of mass, length, and time.
Measurement
• process of measurement is required to measure or
compare physical quantities
One cannot work with forces and matter without dealing with their
properties and physical measurement of such properties.
Measurement
• The extent, size, capacity, or amount of something as
fixed by measuring
• Consists of three parts: the dimension of the
quantity, the unit which represents a known quantity
and a number which is the ratio of the measured
quantity to the standard quantity.
i.e. if a rod is 1.18m long, this can be analysed into a dimension, length; a
standard unit, the metre; and a number 1.18 which is the ratio of the
length of the rod to the standard length, 1m.
Systems of Measurement
• English system
- which was used primarily in industry,
• Metric system
- which was used in the sciences
• Système International d’Unites (International
System of Units / SI Units
- system of units that is proposed for use in
both science and industry.
System of Measurement
Source: Singh, R. P., and Heldman D. R. (2009). Introduction to Food
Engineering 4th ed. Elsevier
Source: Singh, and Heldman, 2009
Source: Singh, and Heldman, 2009
Use of Prefixes
Dimension formula
• dimension formula
- expression which shows how and which of
the base/fundamental quantities represent the
dimensions of a physical quantity
Example Dimensional Equation
Mass of Guava = 175g
Dimensional Equation
• dimensional equation
– An equation that contains both
numerals and their units
– is an equation that contains physical
quantities and dimensional formulas.
– By equating dimensional formulas on
the right and left sides of an equation, a
dimensional equation is obtained.
Cont. Ex. Dimensional Equation
✓All physical equations must be dimensionally
consistent.
Conversion of Units Using the
Dimensional Equation
• CONVERSION FACTOR (UNIT FACTOR)
- Statement of equivalent units/ values, which
may or may not be of the same system of
measurement.
Problem Solving Using Conversion Factors
Useful Conversion Factors (Singh, and Heldman, 2009)
Dimensionless numbers
• Group of symbols that are put together either by
theory or practice that has no unit/ dimension.
– Useful in simplifying the analysis of complex
phenomenon through the study of system that are
within the area of common experience
– Use in similitude and modeling
– The ratio of equivalent or similar properties of system
– Two system are said to be geometrically similar when
the ratios of corresponding geometrical parameters
are the same and dynamically similar when the
corresponding pair of forces are the same
Dimensionless Groups (Dimensionless
Equations):
• ρ is the fluid density Kg/m3)
• D is a length scale that characterizes the scale of the
flow motions of interest (m)
• V is the fluid velocity (m/s)
• μ is the fluid dynamic viscosity (Pa.s or N.s/m2 or
kg/m.s)
• the term μ/ρ is known as kinematic viscosity, ν (m2/s)
Sample Problem 2.
• Show that Reynolds number for a fluid in a
pipe is a dimensionless group.
The Reynolds Number can be used to
determine if flow is laminar, transient or
turbulent. The flow is
• laminar when Re < 2300
• transient when 2300 < Re < 4000
• turbulent when Re > 4000
Transient flow is such a flow where
the velocity and pressure changes over
time. Transient flows usually occur during
the starting or stopping of a pump, the
opening or closing of a tank, or simple
changes in tank levels
