A model to simulate the heat and moisture transfer in cacao transported in containers. In: Agrotrópica v. 1 p. 204-212, 1989.

Abstract

A compartmental deterministic model to simulate the heat and moisture transfer in a composite system of cacao beans being delivered in a container inside a ship hold was developed. The model forecasts the temperatures and humidity leveIs for each component of the system (cacao beans, walls of the container and interior air), as a function of the externaI temperature (conventionaI container) and externaI relative humidity (ventilated container). Comparing the simulated with actual results , there are indications that the model provides a good prediction of the temperatmes of each component and also predicts the general tendency of the variations of the moisture leveIs of each component.