Sei sulla pagina 1di 6

DETERMINING PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GRAIN BY

MICROWAVE PERMITTIVITY MEASUREMENTS


S. Trabelsi, A. W. Kraszewski, S. O. Nelson

ABSTRACT. Potential use of the complex permittivity measured at microwave frequencies for indirect nondestructive
determination of physical properties of grain is discussed. Examples of extraction of bulk density and moisture content
from permittivity measurements are shown for wheat and corn over wide ranges of frequency and temperature.
Calibration equations for both entities are given along with their standard errors of performance (SEP). The bulk density
of wheat and corn, ranging from 720 to 880 kg/m3 and 695 to 830 kg/m3, respectively, can be determined without prior
knowledge of the sample moisture content or its temperature with, on average, SEP of 7.8 kg/m3 and 12.9 kg/m3,
respectively. The moisture content of wheat and corn, ranging from 10.6 to 19.2% and 9.0 to 19.2%, wet basis,
respectively, can be determined at a given temperature independent of density with SEP of less then 0.27% and 0.46%,
respectively. One of the attractive features of permittivity-based methods is that they can be applied regardless of the
measurement technique. One identified function of the complex permittivity provides moisture content for both wheat and
corn with the same calibration.
Keywords. Microwave permittivity, Dielectric properties, Grain, Moisture content, Bulk density.

P
hysical properties of grain such as bulk density, on the frequency range, some other components might have
moisture content, temperature, and composition are a non-negligible effect and thus should be integrated into a
important parameters often used to determine the mixture model. There is no physical analytical model that
quality and the optimum conditions for processing adequately correlates the effective permittivity and the
and safe storage. These properties can be determined physical properties of such a medium.
indirectly, instantly, and nondestructively by measurements However, a better understanding of such media can be
of the complex permittivity. With the growing demand for attained through the experimental approach. At microwave
on-line monitoring and control in highly automated frequencies, the effective complex permittivity is
industries, application of this concept would provide an determined from measurements of entities such as the
adequate solution. Q-factor (cavity techniques), the complex reflection
The complex permittivity, ε = ε′ – jε′′, represents the coefficient, and/or the complex transmission coefficient
wave-matter interaction and can be considered as the (transmission line and free-space techniques). Pioneering
electrical signature of a given material. The real part, ε′, the work and measurements on grain (Nelson et al., 1953,
dielectric constant, indicates the ability of a material to 1998; Nelson, 1973, 1981, 1983, 1992; Nelson and Stetson,
store energy from the electric field of the electromagnetic 1976) provided a unique data base on which work toward
wave and the imaginary part, ε′′, the dielectric loss factor, the achievement of such a goal can be founded and has
indicates the ability of a material to dissipate energy. Both been widely used by different industries.
entities are dependent on frequency, bulk density, moisture With this perspective, other investigations showed
content, temperature, and composition. possibilities of prediction of one or more physical
Most food and agricultural products are heterogenous properties from permittivity measurements (Jacobsen et al.,
media consisting of components with different dielectric 1980; Meyer and Schilz, 1981; Kent and Kress-Rogers,
behaviors, and therefore their complex permittivity is the 1986; Trabelsi et al., 1997a, 1998). In general, the
effective complex permittivity of the mixture. For instance, operating frequency is known, and therefore three unknown
cereal grains are random dense media, usually modeled as physical properties, i.e., bulk density, moisture content and
a two-component mixture (air and kernels) or a three- temperature, are to be determined. Jacobsen et al. (1980)
component mixture (air, dry matter, and water). Depending and Meyer and Schilz (1981) used experimental
observations by Kraszewski et al. (1977) to define a
permittivity-based function for moisture determination
Article was submitted for publication in July 1998; reviewed and
approved for publication by the Information & Electrical Technologies
independent of bulk density at a given frequency and
Division of ASAE in January 1999. Presented as ASAE Paper No. 98- temperature.
3066. More recently, a method was proposed for simultaneous
The authors are Samir Trabelsi, Visiting Scientist, Andrzej W. independent determination of bulk density and moisture
Kraszewski, Research Electronics Engineer, and Stuart O. Nelson, content from microwave permittivity measurement
ASAE Fellow Engineer, Research Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS,
Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Athens, Ga. (Trabelsi et al., 1997b). Both bulk density and moisture
Corresponding author: Stuart O. Nelson, USDA-ARS, Russell Research content were expressed in terms of ε′ and ε′′. At a given
Center, PO Box 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677; voice: (706) 546-3101; frequency, the bulk density is determined without need for
fax: (706) 546-3609; e-mail: sonelson@qaru.ars.usda.gov. knowledge of the moisture content and temperature, and

Transactions of the ASAE


VOL. 42(2): 531-536 1999 American Society of Agricultural Engineers 531
the moisture content at a given temperature is determined polarize when subjected to an electric field. There are three
independent of density. In this article, results obtained for kinds of polarization, electronic, atomic and molecular
wheat and shelled corn are given, along with standard (Von Hippel, 1954), which are predominant, depending on
errors of performance and estimated uncertainties. Further the frequency of the applied electric field. At microwave
investigations are needed to determine temperature from frequencies, water in moist substances plays a major role in
permittivity measurement. From an industrial perspective, the polarization phenomenon. In fact, the water molecules
this will lead to the development of on-line meters bound to the matrix act like electric dipoles and rotate to
providing real-time measurement of three physical align themselves with the alternating electric field, giving
properties from microwave measurement of a single rise to a molecular polarization, called orientation
electrical entity, i.e., the complex permittivity. polarization. For grains, dry matter has a small dielectric
constant (about 2) compared to that of water at these
frequencies, and thus water has the major contribution to
MATERIALS AND METHODS the effective complex permittivity. Therefore, it is obvious
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY that changes in the moisture content will strongly affect the
To determine conditions for optimum processing of effective complex permittivity. A similar effect results from
grains, their physical properties have to be measured on a a change in bulk density, since it always translates into a
regular basis. For grains such as wheat and corn, change in the amount of water interacting with the electric
conventional standard methods for moisture content and field. A temperature change modifies the energetic status of
bulk density determination are both energy and time the water molecules and their aptitude to rotate with the
consuming. The conventional way to determine the bulk electric field. This results in an increase or a decrease of the
density is to weigh a given volume of material. Test weight, water molecule contribution to the polarization of the
which is a static bulk density, determined under prescribed medium and consequently to a change in the effective
conditions (USDA, 1953) for a given moisture content complex permittivity.
prevails as a quality control indicator. For moisture content From a dielectrics view point, at microwave frequencies,
determination, the ASAE Standards (ASAE, 1998) specify both bulk density and temperature are water-related effects.
oven-drying three unground samples for 19 h at 130°C for Therefore, it is difficult to separate their combined effects
wheat and for 72 h at 103°C for corn. These techniques are on the effective complex permittivity. Examination of data
impractical except for reference standards, and electronic published by Nelson and Stetson (1976) and more recently
moisture meters are often used for testing static samples, by Kraszewski et al. (1996) and Trabelsi et al. (1997a)
which requires taking representative samples. Dynamic show that, in general, both ε′ and ε′′ increase with moisture
electronic moisture sensors are also in use, but better content, bulk density, and temperature.
accuracy is generally desired than has been achievable. For
these reasons, there is a growing need for reliable MEASUREMENT OF THE EFFECTIVE COMPLEX
continuous determination of these physical properties. PERMITTIVITY
Permittivity-based methods provide an adequate solution Among the different microwave techniques for
for the development of a new generation of sensors for on- permittivity measurement, free-space transmission
line monitoring and control. techniques offer the ideal configuration for on-line
To examine the relationship between the effective monitoring and control (pipe, chute, conveyor, etc.). They
complex permittivity and some of these properties, are based on measurements of the attenuation, A, and phase
consider a certain amount of kernels of moisture content, shift, φ, introduced by placing a layer of material of
M, and temperature, T, contained in a given volume, V. thickness, d, between two antennas. The same
Their bulk density is defined as: measurement arrangement was used for measurements on
wheat and shelled corn. The measurements were performed
with a pair of horn antennas and a vector network analyzer
ρ = mw + md (1)
V (VNA). A more detailed description of the measurement
system and experimental procedures was given elsewhere
(Kraszewski et al., 1996; Trabelsi et al., 1997a). Assuming
where mw is the mass of water and md is the mass of dry that a linearly polarized plane wave traverses a sample of
matter. Their wet-basis moisture content, in percent, is thickness d of low loss material (ε′′ << ε′), the real part and
defined as: imaginary part of the effective complex permittivity may be
approximated by:
M= mw × 100 (2)
mw + md 2
ε′ = β (3)
Both temperature and moisture content are independent β0
of the quantity or the shape of the material and thus are
intensive properties. They are assumed to be the same
throughout the entire volume. Whereas, bulk density ε″ = 2αβ (4)
changes with the quantity of material, it is an extensive β 20
property. All three properties, ρ, M and T, affect
distinctively the effective complex permittivity, which is an where α = A/d is the attenuation constant, β = φ/d + β 0 is
electrical intrinsic property of the material. The complex the phase constant, and β 0 = 2π/λ 0 is the phase constant
permittivity is a measure of the ability of a material to for free-space wavelength λ 0. When the thickness, d, is

532 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE


Table 1. Ranges of frequency, bulk density, moisture
content, and temperature
Frequency Bulk Density Moisture Temperatures
Material (GHz) (kg/m 3) Content (%) (°C)
Wheat 11.3 to 18.0 720 to 880 10.6 to 19.2 –1, 9, 17, 24, 34, 42
Corn 11.3 to 18.0 695 to 830 9.0 to 19.2 14, 24, 34

greater than the wavelength in the material, an ambiguity in


phase shift occurs. Therefore:

φ = ϕ – 2πn (5)

where ϕ is the reading of the VNA, – π ≤ ϕ ≤ +π, and n is


an integer to be determined. The integer, n, can be
determined either by repeating the measurements with
samples of different thickness or by taking measurements
at two frequencies (Trabelsi et al., 1996). Both A and φ are
taken as positive in applying equations 3 and 4.
To investigate the effects of ρ, M, and T on the effective
complex permittivity at different frequencies,
measurements were taken for samples of different moisture
contents, bulk densities, and temperatures. Table 1 gives
the ranges for wheat and corn, respectively. Figure 2–Argand diagram of the normalized effective relative
complex permittivity for shelled corn at two frequencies (11.3 and
18.0 GHz) and three temperatures, 14, 24, and 34°C.
RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS
COMPLEX-PLANE REPRESENTATION OF THE EFFECTIVE materials, at each frequency, data points corresponding to
COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY all moisture contents at different temperatures lie on the
The complex-plane representation, also known as an same straight line with data corresponding to the lowest
Argand diagram or Cole-Cole plot, is often used to temperature in the lower region of the graph. The complex
elucidate the dielectric behavior of materials (Hasted, plane representation reveals that frequency changes result
1973). Moreover, all four variables (frequency, bulk in a rotation of the line about point (k, 0) in the complex
density, moisture content, and temperature) can be included plane and that temperature changes, at a given frequency,
and their respective effects analyzed. Based on this correspond to a translation along the same straight line.
analysis, a method was developed for simultaneous and From a dielectrics viewpoint, this implies that the two
independent determination of bulk density and moisture intensive properties, moisture content and temperature, are
content (Trabelsi et al., 1997b, 1998). These data are shown interchangeable. The normalized dielectric properties (ε′/ρ,
in figure 1 and figure 2 for wheat and corn. For both ε′′/ρ) for a given moisture content at high temperatures are
those for a virtual higher moisture content at lower
temperatures. The thermal behavior of these materials is
related to the “bound” character of the water molecules
which are expected to occupy well-defined sites and are not
free to rotate. As the temperature increases, the mobility of
the water molecules increases, making their contribution to
the polarization of the medium higher and increasing the
losses at the same time. In contrast, the lower the
temperature, the slower the action of the molecular dipoles,
and the losses tend to be more negligible. By extrapolation,
the losses reach the zero value at a certain temperature
where the electrical behavior of the material tends toward
that of the totally dry air and dry matter mixture. At each
frequency, a linear regression of the form:

ε″ = a ε′ – k
f (6)
ρ ρ

is used to fit the data, where the slope, a f, is a function of


the frequency alone and k is the x-axis intercept. For each
material, a linear relationship exists between a f and the
frequency (Trabelsi et al., 1997b):
Figure 1–Argand diagram of the normalized relative complex af = c1 f + c2 (7)
permittivity for wheat at two frequencies (11.3 and 18.0 GHz) and
three temperatures, –1, 24, and 42°C.

VOL. 42(2): 531-536 533


Values of the constants, c1 and c2, along with the Table 2. Regression coefficients for wheat and corn permittivity
data plotted in the complex plane
coefficient of determination r 2, are given in table 2. For
each material, the x-axis intercept, k, corresponds to the Material c1 c2 k r2
normalized dielectric constant of the totally dry air and dry Wheat 0.0184 0.3826 2.76 0.993
matter mixture or that of a sample of any moisture content Corn 0.0571 0.1106 2.95 0.989
at a very low temperature. The difference in k for wheat
and shelled corn might be structure related, since the
dimensions and geometry of the kernels affect the volume Table 3. Standard Error of Performance (SEP) for bulk density of
distribution in the air-kernel mixture. In general, any wheat and corn at different frequencies for all moisture
particular material is expected to have characteristic values contents and all temperatures
of a f and k. This feature might be useful in materials Material Wheat Corn
identification as well as in the development of a calibration Frequency (GHz) 11.3 15.2 18.0 11.3 15.2 18.0
procedure aimed at determining the physical properties of a No. data points (cal.) 190 190 190 172 186 163
given material from permittivity measurements. No. data points (val.) 189 189 189 172 186 164
SEP (kg/m 3) 7.8 7.9 7.8 12.1 14.9 11.7
BULK DENSITY DETERMINATION FROM EFFECTIVE
COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY
The linear relationship between the normalized real part 1992), which is most likely more pronounced for corn
and the normalized imaginary part of the effective complex because of the larger kernels.
permittivity (fig. 1 and fig. 2) permits the determination of At the 95% confidence level, the uncertainty can be taken
bulk density from the following equation, which follows as twice the value of the SEP. Therefore, for bulk density
from equation 6: determination at any frequency, temperature and moisture
content, one should expect the value of the uncertainty to
range from 15.6 to 15.8 kg/m3 for wheat and from 23.4 to
ρ = a f ε′ – ε″ (8) 29.8 kg/m3 for corn. These uncertainties correspond to about
k af 2% and 4% for wheat and corn, respectively, for the
accuracy of the predicted bulk densities.
For each material, equation 8 indicates that, at a given
frequency, neither moisture content nor temperature need MOISTURE CONTENT DETERMINATION FROM THE
to be known to determine the bulk density. For both wheat EFFECTIVE COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY
and corn, at each frequency, a data set was formed by Since both bulk density and temperature affect the
combining data obtained at different moisture contents and effective complex permittivity in a way similar to that of
different temperatures, –1, 9, 17, 24, 34, and 42°C for moisture content, their effects should be compensated for
wheat, and 14, 24, and 34°C for corn. At each frequency, to determine a relationship between ε and M. A more
the data set was split into two different subsets, covering interesting approach is the definition, empirically or
approximately the same bulk density range. One was used theoretically, of density-independent temperature-
as a calibration set, i.e., to determine the coefficients af and insensitive functions which are expressed in terms of ε′ and
k of the calibration equation (table 2). The second was used ε′′ and exclusively dependent on moisture content. This
as a validation set, i.e., to calculate the bulk density simplifies considerably the calibration procedure as well as
according to equation 8. To evaluate the effectiveness of the development of cost-effective on-line moisture meters.
equation 8 in predicting ρ, the standard error of The concept of density independence has been widely used
performance (SEP) was calculated, at different frequencies, (Trabelsi and Nelson, 1998). However, no temperature-
according to the following equation: insensitive function has yet been defined. The first
permittivity-based density independent function was
N introduced by Jacobsen et al. (1980) and Meyer and Schilz
1
∑ 2
SEP = ∆ρ i – ∆ρ (9) (1981) and was founded on experimental observations by
N–1 i=1 Kraszewski et al. (1977). This function is expressed in
terms of ε′ and ε′′ as:
where N is the number of samples, ∆ρ i is the difference
ε″
between the bulk density determined by the gravimetric ψ1 = (10)
method and that calculated by equation 8 for the ith ε′ – 1
sample, and More recently, a new density independent function was
N proposed (Trabelsi et al., 1997b). It was based on
∆ρ = 1 ∑ ∆ρ. observations in the complex-plane representation of the
N i=1 effective complex permittivity and a physical principal
describing the distribution of the electric energy between
Values of the SEP for wheat and corn are reported in table dissipative and stored energy in dielectrics. This function is
3. The SEP values are higher for corn than wheat. This is expressed in terms of ε′ and ε′′ as:
mainly related to errors in permittivity measurements.
Because the same measurement arrangement and procedure ε″
were used for both materials, the difference in errors might ψ2 = (11)
ε′ a f ε′ – ε″
be attributed to the scattering effect (Sihvola and Lindell,

534 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE


Table 4. Regression coefficients and Standard Error of Performance
(SEP) for moisture determination in wheat and corn
at 15.2 GHz and 24°C
Function ψ1 ψ2
Regression a1 b1 r2 SEP a2 b2 r2 SEP
Wheat 0.0197 –0.081 0.9845 0.27 0.0173 0.047 0.9861 0.26
Corn 0.0288 –0.105 0.9623 0.44 0.0172 0.056 0.9582 0.46

was used to fit the data. Regression constants and


coefficients of determination are given in table 4.
Calibration equations for moisture determination are
obtained by solving equation 12 for M:

ψ 1,2 – b 1,2
M= (13)
a 1,2

where ψ1,2 are density-independent functions exclusively


dependent on ε′ and ε′′, and a1,2 and b1,2 are regression
constants. Similar performances for wheat and corn are
Figure 3–Dependence of ψ1 = ε′ ′ / ( ε′ – 1) on moisture content in wheat obtained using ψ1 or ψ2, but the SEP for corn is somewhat
and shelled corn at 15.2 GHz and 24°C. greater, probably as a result of electromagnetic scattering.
At the 95% confidence level, the uncertainty for
moisture content determination at 15.2 GHz and 24°C, is
about 0.5% moisture content for wheat and less than 1%
moisture content for corn.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS


The complex permittivity was measured for wheat and
corn over the frequency range from 11 to 18 GHz and over
wide ranges of moisture content and temperature.
Complex-plane, x-y plots of the real and imaginary parts,
normalized to bulk density, revealed that, for each kind of
grain, all measured points at each frequency fell along
straight lines whose slope was a function of frequency
alone. Further, changes in either moisture content or
temperature resulted in translations along these lines. The
intersection of these lines with the x-axis was a constant for
each kind of grain and represented the normalized complex
permittivity of the totally dry air-kernel mixture or the
complex permittivity of the mixture at very low
temperature.
The straight lines provided an equation for the bulk
density of the grain, independent of moisture content and
Figure 4–Dependence of ψ2 = [εε′ ′ / ε ′(a f ε′ – ε′′)] 1/2 on moisture content temperature, as a function of the complex permittivity and
in wheat and shelled corn at 15.2 GHz and 24°C.
frequency only. These lines also provide a density-
independent expression for moisture content as a function
Both ψ1 and ψ 2 require the temperature to be known. of complex permittivity at a given frequency and
The dependence of these functions on moisture content at temperature. Calibration equations for prediction of both
15.2 GHz and 24°C for wheat and corn are shown in bulk density and moisture content from measured complex
figure 3 and figure 4. Both ψ1 and ψ 2 increase almost permittivities were developed from a subset of half the data
linearly with moisture content, with more scatter in the for both wheat and corn. The other half of the data formed
corn data at high moistures. However, unlike ψ1, ψ 2 seems a subset for validation of the calibration equations. Bulk
to be nearly material independent as the data points for density was provided by these equations with an
both wheat and corn are superimposed. This demonstrates uncertainty of about 2% for wheat and 4% for corn at the
that ψ 2 is only sensitive to water content regardless of the 95% confidence level.
structure (composition), geometry and dimensions of the The moisture predictions from complex permittivity
particles. A linear regression of the form: measurements, based on the new density-independent
function (ψ2) and an earlier density-independent function
ψ1,2 = a1,2 M + b1,2 (12) (ψ1) of the complex permittivity were similar with

VOL. 42(2): 531-536 535


uncertainties at the 95% confidence level of about 0.5% _____. 1983. Observations on the density dependence of the
moisture content for wheat and less than 1% moisture dielectric properties of particulate materials. J. Microwave
content for corn. The newer density-independent function Power 18(2): 143-153.
(ψ2) also appears to provide a calibration relatively _____. 1992. Estimation of permittivities of solids from
independent of the material, at least for wheat and corn, measurements on pulverized or granular materials, Ch. 6. In
which makes it sensitive to the water content alone. This Dielectric Properties of Heterogeneous Materials, ed. A. Priou.
Progress in Electromagnetics Research 6, J. A. Kong, editor.
feature simplifies considerably the calibration procedure New York, N.Y.: Elsevier.
and consequently the design of a more universal moisture Nelson, S. O., S. Trabelsi, and A. W. Kraszewski. 1998. Advances
meter for moisture determination in particulate materials. in sensing grain moisture content by microwave measurements.
Transactions of the ASAE 41(2): 483-487.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The authors are grateful to Campbell Sihvola, A. H., and I. V. Lindell. 1992. Polarizability modeling of
Scientific, Inc., for financial assistance in support of this heterogeneous media, Ch. 3. In Dielectric Properties of
research. Heterogeneous Materials, ed. A. Priou. Progress in
Electromagnetics Research 6, J. A. Kong, editor. New York,
N.Y.: Elsevier.
REFERENCES Trabelsi, S., A. W. Kraszewski, and S. O. Nelson. 1996. Use of
ASAE Standards, 45th Ed. 1998. S352.2. Moisture measurement— measurements at two frequencies for phase-shift determination.
Unground grain and seeds. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASAE. In IEEE MTT-S Intl. Microwave Symp., Workshop on
Hasted, J. B. 1973. Aqueous Dielectrics. London, England: Electromagnetic Wave Interaction with Water and Moist
Chapman & Hall. Substances, Summaries, 129-130. IEEE.
Jacobsen, R., W. Meyer, and B. Schrage. 1980. Density- Trabelsi, S., A. W. Kraszewski, and S. O. Nelson. 1997a.
independent moisture meter at X-band. In Proc. 10th European Microwave dielectric properties of shelled, yellow-dent field
Microwave Conf., 216-220. Warsaw, Poland. Seven Oaks, Kent, corn. J. Microwave Power Electromagn. Energy 32: 188-194.
U.K.: Microwave Exhibitions & Publishers, Ltd. Trabelsi, S., A. W. Kraszewski, and S. O. Nelson. 1997b.
Kent, M., and E. Kress-Rogers. 1986. Microwave moisture and Simultaneous determination of density and water content of
density measurements in particulate solids. Trans. Inst. Meas. particulate materials by microwave sensors. Electronics Letters
Contr. 8: 161-168. 33: 874-876.
Kraszewski, A. W., S. Kulinski, and Z. Stosio. 1977. A preliminary Trabelsi, S., A. W. Kraszewski, and S. O. Nelson. 1998.
study on microwave monitoring of moisture content in wheat. Nondestructive microwave characterization for bulk density
J. Microwave Power 12: 241-252. and moisture content determination in shelled corn. Meas. Sci.
Kraszewski, A. W., S. Trabelsi, and S. O. Nelson. 1996. Wheat Technol. 9: 1548-1556.
permittivity measurements in free space. J. Microwave Power Trabelsi, S., and S. O. Nelson. 1998. Density-independent
Electromagn. Energy 31: 135-141. functions for on-line microwave moisture meters: A general
Meyer, W., and W. Schilz. 1981. Feasibility study of density- discussion. Meas. Sci. Technol. 9: 570-578.
independent moisture measurement with microwaves. IEEE USDA. 1953. The test weight per bushel of grain: Methods of use
Trans. Microwave Theory Techn. 29: 732-739. and calibration of the apparatus. Circular No. 921. Washington,
Nelson, S. O., L. H. Soderholm, and F. D. Yung. 1953. D.C.: U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Determining the dielectric properties of grain. Agricultural Von Hippel, A. 1954. Dielectrics and Waves. New York, N.Y.: John
Engineering 34(9): 608-610. Wiley & Sons.
Nelson, S. O. 1973. Electrical properties of agricultural products—
A critical review. Transactions of the ASAE 16(2): 384-400.
Nelson, S. O., and L. E. Stetson. 1976. Frequency and moisture
dependence of the dielectric properties of hard red winter
wheat. J. Agric. Engng. Res. 21: 181-192.
Nelson, S. O. 1981. Review of factors influencing the dielectric
properties of cereal grains. Cereal Chem. 58: 487-492.

536 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE

Potrebbero piacerti anche