Abstract
Abstract Investigations have been carried out to establish an economic method for drying unshelled groundnuts to a safe storage moisture content of 9–12% on dry weight in a typically subtropical environment (Queensland). Sorption isotherms on groundnuts showed that to dry the nuts satisfactorily without heat, the ambient air should have R.H. below 75%; but as this condition occurs in the area on the average for only 63% of the time during the harvest season, techniques involving preliminary drying by natural curing in windrows followed by hot‐air drying were studied. In a pilot‐scale dryer of 40 cu. ft. capacity, an air flow of about 21 cu. ft./(min.) (cu. ft. load) at an air temperature of 100°F satisfactorily reduced the moisture content from 31% to 12% (dry basis) in 24 h. A larger industrial bin dryer of 750 cu. ft. capacity gave even more satisfactory results. Fuel consumption for the larger unit was 2·2 gal./h. at a fuel cost of 24d. (Australian)/gal., and a load of about 7 tons (wet) could therefore be dried at a fuel cost of about 0·12d. (Aust.)/lb. product. The results might be applicable to the drying of groundnuts in other subtropical areas, and the fundamental principles involved might prove applicable to the drying of farm crops in general.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Ambient air below 75% relative humidity was needed for satisfactory unheated drying.
- Taxon
- groundnuts
Arachis hypogaeae0 - Outcome
- dry the nuts satisfactorilye0
- Qualifier
- R.H. below 75%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Sorption isotherms on groundnuts showed that to dry the nuts satisfactorily without heat, the ambient air should have R.H. below 75%”
Claim · model-written summary
The ambient humidity condition occurred 63% of harvest-season time.
- Taxon
- groundnutsArachis hypogaeat0
- Outcome
- this condition occurse0
- Value
- 63%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this condition occurs in the area on the average for only 63% of the time during the harvest season”
t0“groundnuts”
Claim · model-written summary
Pilot-scale heated drying reduced moisture from 31% to 12% in 24 hours.
- Taxon
- groundnutsArachis hypogaeat0
- Treatment
- an air flow of about 21 cu. ft./(min.) (cu. ft. load) at an air temperature of 100°Fe0
- Outcome
- moisture contente0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 12%e0
- Comparator
- 31%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“an air flow of about 21 cu. ft./(min.) (cu. ft. load) at an air temperature of 100°F satisfactorily reduced the moisture content from 31% to 12% (dry basis) in 24 h.”
t0“groundnuts”
Claim · model-written summary
The larger industrial dryer gave more satisfactory results.
- Taxon
- groundnutsArachis hypogaeat0
- Outcome
- even more satisfactory resultse0
- Value
- 750 cu. ft.e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A larger industrial bin dryer of 750 cu. ft. capacity gave even more satisfactory results.”
t0“groundnuts”