Exploring moisture content measurement using an open-ended coaxial sensor: A method of moments approach

Continuous measurement of the material's relative moisture content (m.c) is an important duty in industrial process control. However, current techniques only provide the absolute amount of water in the sample container, and (m.c of corn) is obtained from an extra mass measurement. The investigation of the dielectric behavior of moist matter at microwave frequencies using an open-ended coaxial sensor, as well as the relationship of reflection coefficient and moisture content for frequencies ranging from 1 GHz to 5 GHz via MOM and measurement, and thus the comparison of results, confirms the superiority of Method of Moment (MOM), due to benefits such as low cost and non-harmful to the sample materials. The basic concept is explored, and the results of experiments using maize as the medium are shown.