Microwave Emission Information

The MOIST///SCAN®  microwave moisture analyser is designed to use low level “non ionizing” microwave radiation for the determination of total moisture within the product. The frequency range utilized by the MOIST///SCAN® moisture analysers is from 500 MHz to 10 GHz. The microwave power emitted from the lower antenna is approximately 0.1milliWatts (mW).

Equipment emitting microwave radiation must conform to the regulations set out by the national authority, ARPANSA, or the Australian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority. The applicable standard in this case is the Australia and New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2772.1

2002 Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields - 3kHz to 300GHz, Radiation Protection Series Publication No. 3.

At 500MHz: At 10GHz:
E, Electric field (V/m rms) 68.6 137
H, Magnetic field (A/m rms) 0.182 0.364
P, Power Flux (W/m2) 12.5 50

The parameters listed above are the highest levels allowable (averaged over a 6 minute period) for a device in a workplace. The most applicable limit here is the Power Flux, P. The output from a MOIST///SCAN® MA-500 is 1.1mW/m2 or 0.0011W/m2 which is less than 10,000 times lower than what is required at 500MHz. This radiation level only exists directly between the two antennas and in almost all cases is inaccessible due to the conveyor belt. Microwave radiation further than 1 metre from the analyser is virtually undetectable.

As an example, microwave ovens are legally allowed to leak radiation of up to 5 milliwatts/cm² (National Health and Medical Research Council 1985). During commissioning a Callidan engineer can demonstrate with a simple microwave leakage monitor that the radiation levels around the MOIST///SCAN®  are far less that what is legally required from a commercial microwave oven.