Microwave dielectric sensing of bulk density of granular materials

A nondestructive dielectric method for sensing bulk density of granular materials is presented. The bulk density is determined from measurement of the dielectric properties of these materials at a single microwave frequency without knowledge of their moisture content and temperature. Bulk density calibration equations are generated from a complex-plane representation of the dielectric properties normalized with respect to bulk density. The effectiveness of the method is shown through measurement of the dielectric properties at 7 GHz for materials with significant compositional and structural differences, i.e. wheat. oats, corn and soybeans. over wide ranges of moisture content and temperature. The standard error of calibration and the relative error calculated for each material indicate that the method is as accurate as or better than commonly used methods for on-line density determination. Because the density is expressed in terms of the relative complex permittivity, the method can be applied regardless of the measurement technique (using transmission lines. a resonant cavity. admittance or impedance).