Fringing Field Capacitance Sensor for Measuring the Moisture Content of Agricultural Commodities

Author

McIntosh, Robert B. ; Casada, Mark E.

Author_Institution

Horizon Technol. Group, Williamsburg

Volume

8

Issue

3

fYear

2008

fDate

3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

240

Lastpage

247

Abstract

A fringing field capacitive sensor is described for measuring the moisture content (MC) and temperature of agricultural commodities. Sensor performance was characterized by mounting the device on handheld probes and in acrylic canisters to determine the dielectric constant and MC of wheat and corn. The handheld probes demonstrated a promising capability to measure the MC of grain in hoppers, truck beds, and cargo holds. It is proposed that the sensors be supported on cables in grain silos and storage bins to acquire in situ data for grain storage management and control of aeration systems. The sensor is watertight and constructed with corrosion resistant materials which allow MC measurements to be made of industrial materials, chemicals, and fuels.

Keywords

agricultural products; capacitive sensors; humidity sensors; moisture measurement; agricultural commodities; corn; corrosion resistant material; dielectric constant; fringing field capacitance sensor; grain storage management; moisture content measurement; wheat; Capacitance measurement; Capacitive sensors; Chemical industry; Chemical sensors; Dielectric constant; Dielectric measurements; Moisture measurement; Probes; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Temperature sensors; Capacitance sensor; dielectric constant; grain storage management; moisture content (MC); moisture sensor;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Sensors Journal, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1530-437X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JSEN.2007.913140

Filename

4444538