Moist Grain Research Articles

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF STORED OATS WITH DIFFERENT MOISTURE CONTENT

Much has been written about the heating that takes place in damp or moist grain, but apparently no measurements have been made of thermal conductivity. In a previous publication by Bakke and Noecker (1), it was shown that in oats in storage there is considerable variation in oxygen consumption even with oats of low moisture content. There is a general tendency for respiration to increase with the moisture content, although there is considerable variation. In certain localized areas where the grain is not sufficiently dry for storage, spoilage takes place owing to rapid oxidation of the grain. In these areas or 'heat pockets'7 the heat generated has been largely retained owing to the fact that the grain is a poor conductor of heat. The work reported in this paper is an attempt to measure the thermal conductivity of oats stored at different moisture contents.