A basic study on moisture movement and prevention of uneven moisture distribution in grain silo: possibility of dew condensation to the silo inwall

摘要

We measured the temperature and the relative humidity of the upper airspace of a grain silo and the atmosphere nearby the outside silo wall, to investigate the moisture movement in a rough rice storage silo of a country elevator. Using the measured values and results of model experiment, we estimated complementarily the temperature and the moisture distribution in grain layer by numerical analysis, and investigated the possibility of the dew condensation to the inside wall and the celling of the grain silo. As the result, we reached the conclusion that main cause for the uneven moisture distribution is the dew condensation and the water droplet from wall or ceiling into the grain layer rather than the water vapor movement through the air between the grain kernels.