Testing Procedure
GOAL
GOAL
To reach 14% moisture content in 8 bushels of corn in less than or equal to 8 hours given its starting moisture is less than or equal to 25%.
MATERIALS
MATERIALS
- 24-40 Bushels of Corn
- Drying Chamber
- Solar Collector
- Solar Panel
- DC to AC Converter
- Heat lamps = 1200W/m2
- Multimeter
- Electric Moisture Meter
- Light Meter App
- Digital Thermometer
PLAN & PROCEDURE
PLAN & PROCEDURE
Solar Panel
Solar Panel
- Place in a sunny spot at a 52 Degree angle with the converter connected.
- Measure current output, voltage output and light intensity (lux) every 30 minutes for 4 hours including weather conditions (Temperature, Cloud Coverage, Time of Day).
- Record in a table:
4. Repeat for 2 days.
Drying Chamber and Solar Collector
Drying Chamber and Solar Collector
- Attach solar collector to drying chamber in the environmental chamber.
- Set conditions for environmental chamber:
- Relative humidity: 85%
- Temperature: 25C or 77F
- Shine 1200W/m2 heat lamps on the solar collector and plug in the fan.
- Place 8 bushels of corn in the chamber.
- Record initial moisture content (MC) of the corn, temperature of air in the drying chamber (Tdc), and relative humidity in the drying chamber (RHdc).
- Measure MC of corn on all four shelves, Tdc, & RHdc every hour until we reach 14% MC.
- Record in table:
8. Repeat 3-5 times