Why are aeration cooling times different for summer, fall and winter aeration for summer harvested grain?
Freshly harvested grain in the summer is very warm. As cool air passes through warm grain in the summer, the transferred grain heat warms the cooling air, reducing the air relative humidity. As the warmed, reduced humidity air (now at grain temperature) passes through warm grain, it picks up or absorbs grain moisture. This moisture absorption from the grain to the cooling air causes adiabatic or evaporative cooling of the grain. This is similar to your arm sweating when exposed to the sun on a hot day; wind across moist skin on your arm causes your skin to cool as the air movement evaporates sweat from your skin. Wheat cooled during the summer fresh warm grain will often lose 1/3 to 1/2 percent of its moisture during evaporative cooling in one complete summer aeration cycle. When cooled again in the fall, the same grain starts at a cooler temperature and lower grain moisture content. With cooler air, and cooler, drier grain, there is less evaporative cooling effect during fall aeration
Related Questions
- Why is the tuition due date for summer sessions different than the tuition due date for all other quarters (Fall, Winter, and Spring)?
- Why are aeration cooling times different for summer, fall and winter aeration for summer harvested grain?
- How is Summer Session different from Fall, Winter or Spring term?
