Difusäo do cloreto de sódio no processo de maturaçäo de queijos: modelagem matemática com o emprego do método de elementos finitos / The sodium chlorid diffusion during cheese ripening: matematical model applyng the finite element method

RESUMO

Solute (sodium chloride) transference through a three-dimensional matrix, during cheese ripening, was studied applying the finite element method (MEF). The variational formulation 9Galerkin) of the differential problem (diffusion model) had as the theoretical basis Fick's second law. The methods for time integration were developed according to Crank-Nicolson (central difference), and modified Euler (backward difference), which presented unconditional stability. The computational program proved to be versatile in solving sampling situations in realistic condition nd can be used in complex geometry. The application of numeric method (MEF) withmodified-Euler scheme in the simulation of diffusion of sodium chloride in the ripening, showed to be close to the values published in specialized literature