Title :
Inexpensive microwave moisture sensor for granular materials
Author :
Trabelsi, Samir ; Nelson, Stuart O.
Author_Institution :
U.S. Dept. of Agric., Athens
Abstract :
A low-cost microwave moisture sensor for real-time, nondestructive determination of moisture content in granular and particulate materials has been assembled and tested. Measurement results on wheat and corn are promising and indicate that moisture content can be predicted from complex permittivity measurement with a single calibration equation. The low price and simplicity of use of the proposed sensor will open a new opportunity for widespread integration of microwave sensing technology in numerous industries including food and agriculture, pharmaceutical, mining, and construction. The sensor can also be used to determine bulk density from the same set of measurements of the relative complex permittivity (Trabelsi, 1997).
Keywords :
agricultural products; granular materials; humidity sensors; microwave detectors; moisture measurement; nondestructive testing; permittivity measurement; corn; granular materials; microwave moisture sensor; microwave sensing technology; moisture content; nondestructive determination; particulate materials; relative complex permittivity measurement; single calibration equation; wheat; Assembly; Calibration; Equations; Food technology; Materials testing; Microwave sensors; Microwave technology; Moisture measurement; Nondestructive testing; Permittivity measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 2007 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Honolulu, HI
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-0877-1
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-0878-8
DOI :
10.1109/APS.2007.4395489
