The knowledge of the terminal velocity of a product is of fundamental importance in the development of separation machines using airflows. The behavior of the values of the terminal velocity of coffee fruits (varieties Catuaí and Hybrid Timor) was investigated in this work as a function of following parameters: (a) maturation level of the coffee at the harvesting ("green" and "cherry" fruits); (b) harvesting time; (c) variety; (d) moisture content of the fruits and (e) number of fruits in the sample used for the determinations of the terminal velocity. Analysis of the results showed that the values of the terminal velocity were significantly influenced by the moisture content of product, fruit maturation level and size of the samples used in the determinations. However, the harvesting time and the fruit variety did not present as important parameters in the terminal velocity determinations. Functional relationships among dimensionless parameters, using dimensional analysis and the Buckingham Pi theorem were also obtained and presented in this work. These relationships may be used to estimate the terminal velocity of one fruit when experimental data from the fluctuation velocity of samples with a larger number of fruits are known.
Coffea arábica L.; terminal velocity; moisture content; maturation level
