steam usage

[jiggyq]

hey im an electrical engineer trying to calculate steam flow and usage for a retort.
ok i need to know the steam used in retorting canned vegatables.
i know
volume of retort
specific heat capcitiy of vegatables
pressure of steam flow into the retort is 120 psi
i know the team taken to come up and cook the beans
with all of this i just need to calculate the the amount of steam used in the process.
is there any more information i will need
and what are the equations i would need to estimate steam usage. thanks alot. for any help i may get.

 

[BillPSU]

You'll need to know what temperature the mass starts at, the ending temperature, heat loss of the retort, how long you need to hold the steam to reach temperature. You will also need to know the mass of the retort itself as it will also need to be heated and its specific heat. Analyze the problem without heat loss and add your heat loss factor during the holding times. You should arrive a minimum value for steam required.

 

[jiggyq]

thanks alot bill. i found some useful equations that may help me this is the thing. the come up time and the cooking time are these factors not used to calculate steam usage.
and when i get the steam flow. im not sure if the steam used during production is caluculated like fluid flow where you multiply velocity by pipe cross sectional area.
thanks alot for your help