The Thermal Properties of Potato

Abstract

The specific heat of potato was measured by a liquid calorimeter and the thermal conductivity by the method of the unsteady-state heat conduction of a sphere.
The specific heat ranged from 0.871kcal/kg•°C at 83% moisture content to 0.495kcal/ kg•°C at 22% moisture content (Table I). The relation between the specific heat and the moisture content (Fig. 1) showed a break, requiring the fitting of two straight lines. The best fitting equations are
c=0.216+0.780W (W>0.50)
c=0.393+0.437W (0.50>W>0.20)
The thermal conductivity of potato at 76% moisture content ranged from 0.417kcal/m•hr•°C at 10°C to 0.478kcal/m•hr•°C at 75°C (Table I and Fig. 2). The curve for potato is similar to that for water.
For the relation of the thermal conductivity and the moisture content (Fig. 3), points of data rather scattered, but it showed that the decrease of the moisture content was accompanied with that of the thermal conductivity.