EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF FORCED AERATION DURING PHASE I MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE PREPARATION: PART 1. MODEL DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of forced aeration during Phase I mushroom substrate preparation on substrate temperature, oxygen concentration, and heat generation. The work is described in two parts: (1) model development and thermal property determination, and (2) air temperature, oxygen, and airflow measurements and heat generation calculations using the model. This article represents part 1. To determine the rate of heat generation during substrate preparation, an energy balance model was developed for an environmentally controlled Phase I system. Thermal properties of mushroom substrate in the Phase I process were measured. Thermal conductivity ranged from 0.19 to 0.49 W/m-K. Thermal diffusivity ranged from 0.20 to 0.31 × 10-6 m2/s. Using an average bulk density of 275 kg/m3, the specific heat of Phase I mushroom substrate was calculated to be 5.23 kJ/kg-K.