Water Shrink Factors Calculator
The Water Shrink Factor is used in any context where you need to account for weight changes due to the removal or reduction of moisture content during processing or storage. It is a valuable tool in agriculture, food production, and any other industry where moisture content directly affects product weight, quality, and value.
Water Shrink Factor Calculator
Calculation
- the percentage of moisture left in the product after drying or processing
- decimal precision, the number of digits after the decimal point
Result
- the calculated shrink factor
Example of Water Shrink Factor Application: Grain Storage and Drying
Consider a real-life scenario using the water shrink factor in grain storage and drying. In grain storage, the moisture content of the grain is a crucial factor in determining its weight, quality, and market price. Grain such as corn, wheat, or soybeans must be dried after harvesting to prevent spoilage, and moisture removal directly affects the final product's weight.
A farmer harvests corn with a moisture content of 35%. The moisture content must be reduced to 15% to store and sell the corn safely. The farmer uses a drying process to lower the moisture content, but they want to calculate how much weight they will lose due to water shrinkage during drying.
In this scenario, the Water Shrink Factor can help the farmer estimate how much the corn's weight will decrease as the moisture is removed.
Initial Moisture Content: 35% (this is the moisture at harvest) Final Moisture Content: 15% (this is the moisture after drying)
Apply the Formula:
Water Shrink Factor = 100 - M ÷ 100 Substituting M = 15%:
Water Shrink Factor = 100 - 15 ÷ 100 = 100 ÷ 85 = 1.176
The Water Shrink Factor is 1.176. The corn will have 1.176 times less weight after drying due to the moisture reduction.
Application of the Water Shrink Factor:
Apply the water shrink factor to the real-life scenario of drying grain. Initial Weight of Corn: Suppose the farmer harvested 5,000 lbs of corn with a 35% moisture content. Water Shrink Factor: Calculated as 1.176 based on the moisture reduction from 35% to 15%. To estimate the weight of the corn after drying:
Final weight = Initial Weight ÷ Water Shrink Factor
Final Weight = 50,000 ÷ 1.176 = 42517 lbs
- After drying, the corn will weigh approximately 42517 lbs, meaning that around 7483 lbs of weight was lost due to water removal. This information helps the farmer understand how much corn they will have after drying and how much weight loss is due to moisture reduction
In industries where moisture content plays a significant role, the water shrink factor is crucial in predicting a product's final weight after processing.
Farming Calculators
Main PageMoisture and Irrigation Calculators
- Constant Shrink Factor - Metric - Calculates grain weight loss using a fixed shrink factor in metric units.
- Grain Wet to Dry Bushel - Converts wet grain weight to its equivalent dry bushel weight.
- Grain Shrinkage - Determines the reduction in grain weight due to moisture loss.
- Grain Shrinkage Calculator - Metric - Computes grain shrinkage using metric units based on initial and final moisture levels.
- Grain Shrinkage with Initial and Final Moisture Content - Calculates grain weight loss based on initial and final moisture percentages.
- Water Depth and Usage - Estimates water depth required and total water usage for irrigation needs.
- Water Shrink Factors - Determines weight loss due to moisture evaporation using various shrink factors.