METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RAPIDLY DETERMINING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF A SUBSTANCE

摘要

NOVEL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RAPIDLY DETERMINING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF A SUBSTANCE A method and apparatus is disclosed for rapidly determining the moisture content of a substance. An area of one surface only of the substance is subjected to a predetermined intensity of radiant energy for a selected period of time and the temperature rise is measured. The rise in the surface temperature of the substance such as pieces of wood, is approximately inversely proportional to the moisture content of the wood and thus is easily determined. This is obtainable by transporting the substance on a fixed speed conveyor past a heat source, variations in the rise and fall in the surface temperature readings immediately following the application of heat are representative of its moisture content; low readings indicating high moisture content whilst high readings being indicative of low moisture content.