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Lynne Wong's PhD thesis

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By means of the same technique, Wong Sak Hoi (1998) subsequently developed a rapid<br />

moisture determination method programmed for products of high moisture content such as<br />

filter cake, bagasse and cane. The application of the method to these products was found<br />

successful with regard to both precision and accuracy of the method compared with the<br />

reference methods, and with great savings in analysis time, which is essential in process<br />

control.<br />

It was thought useful to develop a method for rapid moisture determination in fibre by<br />

using halogen thermogravimetry; this will be particularly useful to check any residual<br />

moisture in the fibre after vacuum oven drying.<br />

The Mettler Toledo (Model HR73) moisture analyser (Fig 4.2) is a development of the<br />

infrared dryer. It consists of a glass tube filled with an inert halogen gas and contains a<br />

tungsten wire heating element. The geometry of the halogen radiation provides uniform<br />

distribution of the infrared radiation over the whole surface of the samples through a large<br />

gold-plated reflector. It is claimed by the manufacturer that the analyser cools faster and<br />

provides more precise temperature control than a conventional infrared dryer.<br />

Figure 4.2. The Mettler Toledo HR73 halogen thermogravimetric moisture analyser.<br />

A precision balance integrated in the instrument continuously monitors the mass change of<br />

the sample under test, which is either dried for a pre-set period or to constant mass. The<br />

apparatus offers four drying programmes, namely standard, rapid, gentle and stepwise<br />

drying for different kinds of products, and five automatic switch-off criteria (1-5) for<br />

135

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