Biomass Storage Monitoring System

2D moisture & temperature imaging

An integrated capacitive and acoustic sensor system that images 2D moisture and temperature distributions across the cross-section of stored biomass, helping plants assess self-ignition risks.

Guo, Ge · Yan, Yong · Zhang, Wenbiao · Hu, Yonghui

Measurement: Journal of the International Measurement Confederation 2025

Specifications

Moisture content measurement range

{'zh': '7.7–16.4', 'en': '7.7–16.4'} %

Temperature measurement range

{'zh': '20–65', 'en': '20–65'} °C

Relative error of moist area measurement

{'zh': '±5', 'en': '±5'} %

Relative error of moist location measurement

{'zh': '±4', 'en': '±4'} %

Relative error of moisture content measurement

{'zh': '±8', 'en': '±8'} %

Relative error of high-temperature area measurement

{'zh': '±5', 'en': '±5'} %

Relative error of high-temperature location measurement

{'zh': '±4', 'en': '±4'} %

Relative error of high-temperature temperature measurement

{'zh': '±6', 'en': '±6'} %

Advantages

Internal state visualized

Using integrated capacitive and acoustic sensors with image reconstruction, it obtains 2D moisture and temperature distributions across the whole cross-section, helping operators visually assess potential hazards of stored biomass.

Low measurement errors

The relative errors for measuring moist area, location, and moisture content are ±5%, ±4%, and ±8%, respectively, while those for area, location, and temperature in the high-temperature zone are ±5%, ±4%, and ±6%, respectively.

Applications

• Biomass power generation：Real-time monitoring of biomass fuel storage to prevent self-ignition that could cause shutdowns or accidents.
• Energy storage safety：Detect internal hot and moist zones to identify self-ignition hazards early and improve storage safety.
• Industrial measurement：Provide non-invasive measurement of internal parameters of biomass piles, replacing time-consuming manual sampling.