RESEARCH & EVENTS
Figure 2 : Ambient air conditions during the drying phase from Day 0 to Day 23 .
“
We
had three rain days , six frost days and many days where the relative humidity fell into the upper levels of the range required , and this drastically reduced the number of fan run hours . Yet we still achieved the desired result .
- Mark White , Harveston Engineer and PhD candidate and despite being very late in the season , the desired results were achieved . To ensure rigour in the demonstration , Dr Coetzee deployed a sensor array from Incyt to map the conditions inside the stockpile in detail . Scientific methods for sampling and measuring moisture levels across the fruit , hull , shell and kernel were implemented for the project . The results are shown in figure 1 above
Analysing the results When analysing the results , we can see a steady decline in moisture levels within the stack . We can also see where an evaluation of fan run speed was undertaken post day 17 where the drying rate slowed . “ We had the best of the worst conditions for this demonstration ,” said Harveston Engineer and PhD candidate Mark White . “ We had three rain days , six frost days and many days where the relative humidity fell into the upper levels of the range required , and this drastically reduced the number of fan run hours . Yet we still achieved the desired result .” Figure 2 shows the ambient conditions during the drying phase demonstration .
Project outcomes At the end of the drying phase the industry standard moisture requirements ( AlmondCo 2023 crop delivery information ) of 6 % kernel , 12 % hull and 9 % fruit were achieved without loss of quality . The total energy cost for the drying phase was $ 69 or 1.3 cents per kernel kilogram . Further evaluations were conducted in the maintenance phase of the project including airflow modification and fumigation effectiveness . The results of these evaluations will be presented in the next editions of In a Nutshell . In all , the team was very happy to demonstrate the effectiveness of ambient aeration and to add to the success of the Mildura SmartFarm .
industry . australianalmonds . com . au
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