Services & Products
Simulations and sensing
- Multiphysics simulations of airflow, convective cooling, drying of soft and solid porous materials, postharvest technologies, heat and mass transfer processes, electrohydrodynamics, airflow through vegetation, face mask design, microfluidics, and transdermal drug delivery.
- Multiparameter sensing solutions in the cold chain of food and other heat-sensitive materials (vaccines) from farm to fork, including thermal mapping.
- Digital twins of refrigerated unit operations such as refrigerated containers, trailers, and cold stores for food and other heat-sensitive materials.
- Digital twins of humans for targeted applications, such as transdermal pain relief medication.
- Converting multiphysics simulations into stand-alone mobile applications (with GUI or running in the background).
- Building biophysical food twins, or so-called artificial fruit, that mimic the physical behavior of real fruit and are set up with a sensor system to monitor several drivers for food quality loss.
- Data analytics and data upcycling in various research fields.
Postharvest technology
- Postharvest assessment to identify which postharvest interventions are best to increase fruit and vegetable quality preservation and, thereby, the income for smallholder farmers.
- Active and passive cooling solution selection for low-and middle-income countries.
- Optimization studies of cold storage rooms (aerodynamically and hygrothermally)
- Development, testing, and training of evaporative coolers.
- Ventilated packaging design for fresh foods.
- Postharvest technology selection consultancy.
Contact
Thijs Defraeye
Group Leader SimBioSys
thijs.defraeye@empa.ch
+41 58 765 4790