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Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content of wood fuel. Tiê Mendes Tavares Waterford Institute of Technology

Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

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Page 1: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Use of moisture meters to determine

moisture content of wood fuel.Tiê Mendes Tavares

Waterford Institute of Technology

Page 2: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Summary

Introduction

Objectives

Methodology

Results

Conclusion

Acknowledgment

Page 3: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Introduction

The experiment aims to evaluate the viability in measure the moisture

content using two different moisture meter (Wile Bio and BM2).

Samples from freshly shredded brash bales.

Samples were collected at Medite – Coillte Panel Products.

Laboratory and data processing was made at WIT Forestry Labs.

Page 4: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Objectives

Compare the accuracy of using moisture meters compared to oven drying, for

more rapid determination of moisture content.

Moisture content as determined in WIT by oven drying

Moisture content as determined by Moisture meter 1 (Biomass Moisture Meter BM2)

Moisture content as determined by Moisture meter 2 (Wile Bio Moisture Meter)

Compare the accuracy of them using samples at a range of moisture contents.

Determination of the number of replicate measurements needed to gain a

reasonable estimate of moisture content of shredded brash bundles.

Page 5: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Methodology

Page 6: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Results

BM 2 WB 2 WB 3 WB 4 WIT

49.5% 56.5% 49.5% 36.9%

60.0% 54.4% 49.8% 40.8%

48.5% 57.6% 48.5% 40.2%

49.5% 51.1% 43.4% 36.9%

44.0% 55.6% 47.0% 36.9%

33.5% 55.4% 44.6% 36.3%

47.0% 56.4% 46.2% 38.6%

57.0% 54.6% 46.4% 39.0%

44.0% 53.0% 43.8% 36.3%

55.0% 53.3% 54.8% 34.6%

48.0% 52.9% 43.4% 37.9%

27.0% 52.5% 40.2% 33.8%

52.5% 53.2% 47.3% 34.6%

36.5% 53.3% 43.7% 36.9%

33.5% 52.2% 45.7% 37.9%

31.0% 49.5% 41.3% 34.0%

43.0% 53.6% 40.7% 31.8%

28.0% 53.2% 42.6% 35.0%

45.0% 53.4% 45.6% 38.2%

41.0% 51.9% 45.3% 36.6%

39.0% 53.3% 45.3% 37.8%

42.5% 52.2% 44.4% 42.2%

40.5% 55.5% 49.4% 40.0%

41.0% 57.6% 43.6% 40.4%

Sample

Moisture ContentMethod

51.4%

53.4%

51.9%

50.4%

52.2%

50.3%

53.1%

52.0%

1

2

3

8

7

6

5

4

BM 2 WB 2 WB 3 WB 4 WIT

x̄ 43.2% 53.8% 45.5% 37.2% 51.8%

σ 8.7% 2.0% 3.3% 2.5% 1.1%

x:̄ Average of all samples in each method

σ: Standard Deviation of all samplein each method

Method

x̄ σ x̄ σ x̄ σ x̄ σ

1 53% 6% 56% 2% 49% 1% 39% 2%

2 42% 6% 54% 3% 45% 3% 37% 2%

3 49% 3% 55% 3% 45% 3% 38% 2%

4 43% 8% 53% 3% 46% 2% 35% 0%

5 41% 7% 53% 1% 46% 1% 36% 1%

6 34% 12% 52% 1% 42% 1% 34% 1%

7 42% 7% 53% 2% 45% 1% 38% 1%

8 41% 7% 55% 1% 46% 6% 41% 2%

WB 3 WB 4Sample

Average and Standard DeviationBM 2 WB 2

Page 7: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Results

43.2%

53.8%

45.5%

37.2%

51.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

BM 2 WB 2 WB 3 WB 4 WIT

Mois

ture

Conte

nt

Method

Average of all samples in each method

Page 8: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Results

BM 2 WB 2 WB 3 WB 4 WIT

46.5% 33.9% 28.1% 25.2%

51.0% 34.2% 29.7% 20.5%

50.0% 32.0% 29.2% 22.1%

14.5% 21.9% 14.0% Low

17.5% 20.6% 14.3% Low

18.5% 22.1% 14.0% Low

10.5% 18.0% Low Low

11.5% 18.7% Low Low

11.5% 18.3% Low Low

1.5% 17.0% Low Low

1.0% 17.3% Low Low

1.0% 17.1% Low Low

Moisture Content

SampleMethod

1 27.1%

2 22.9%

3 13.8%

4 11.4%

x̄ σ x̄ σ x̄ σ x̄ σ

1 49% 2% 33% 1% 29% 1% 23% 2%

2 17% 2% 22% 1% 14% 0% Low Low

3 11% 1% 18% 0% Low Low Low Low

4 1% 0% 17% 0% Low Low Low Low

SampleBM 2 WB 2 WB 3 WB 4

Average and Standard Deviation

1 - After 6 hours

2 - 24 hours

3 - 30 hours

4 - 48 hours

Page 9: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Conclusion

Wile Bio was the more accurate and precise of the two meters.

Both of the moisture meters are faster than the standard oven-drying

method.

Wile Bio is fastest.

Moisture Meter BM2 is not precise and gave a measurement far from the oven-

drying method.

Might be caused because of the lack of adjustments and tools in the display.

Heterogeneity of the bale is an issue as it has different parts of the tree with

different properties what make it more difficult to measure the moisture and

the collection of a representative sample.

Page 10: Use of moisture meters to determine moisture content

Acknowledgment

Waterford Institute of Technology

Tom Kent

Enda Coates

Nicholas Mockler

Coillte Panel Products – Medite

Oliver Gras

Darren O Loughlin