Abstract
On-board, in-situ, instruments for optical measurements have been used to characterize dust discharged from nut harvesting equipment. A laboratory-based test stand and calibration system for an opacity monitor was developed. A controlled air delivery stream was used to generate visible dust concentrations that were measured and characterized with a commercial opacity-based dust monitor. Airflow through the system averaged 0.0068 m3 s-1 (408 L min-1); test dust metering rates of 35 to 515 mg s-1 were generated, depending on size classification (ultra-fine, fine, medium, or coarse) of Arizona test dust. Concentrations based on specific size ranges of the test dusts ranged from 5 to 70 g m-3 with an opacity resolution describing these concentrations ranging from 20% to 70%. The experimental results agreed closely with the Beer-Lambert expression for light extinction in a particulate-laden medium and confirmed that opacity measurement is useful for quantifying in-situ, site-specific, machine-generated and discharged dust during agricultural field operations.
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