Ways of increasing the economic efficiency of the seed preparation process

Abstract

Implementing the method considered allows to improvement the economic efficiency of the process by reducing the cost of production and improving the purity of the main fraction. With the increase in the gross production of grain crops, as one of the primary sources of human nutrition, the intensification of post-harvest grain processing becomes relevant. It is necessary to use biologically active seed material (SM) to obtain a high yield of grain crops without reducing quality and nutritional characteristics. Separating machines that separate by seed density have the highest efficiency of separating seed material by selecting highly productive and biologically active seeds. The aspect of reducing the economic efficiency of the process during long-term storage is considered, which is the effect of self-heating. This effect occurs when wet material is placed in storage, which begins to release heat and moisture actively during long-term interaction with the environment (high external temperatures). The process of damaging healthy grain can last for weeks. However, in poorly cleaned material with cracks and injuries, the self-heating process occurs slowly and lasts several hours. In a short period, the grain temperature can reach 85 degrees. This process is irreversible and affects large batches of grain. Repeated mechanical interaction of working bodies of machines and equipment implementing the process with SM particles causes micro- and macroinjury of seeds. Macrotraumas may include the reflection of a part of the embryo and a partially or destroyed shell. Microtraumas are internal cracks and injuries from interaction with pests. The number of injured seeds can reach 90%, depending on the culture. The article lists the factors that are decisive for an efficient and economical process of separating seed material by seed density: The frequency of oscillations of the working surface; The amplitude of oscillations of the working surface; Airflow speed, tray angles, and seed density. The hydrodynamics method of multiphase media is optimal for mechano-mathematical modeling of the seed layer. The SM layer was modeled as a multiphase medium consisting of two phases: "discrete" - the SM layer and "continuous" - airflow. This approach effectively links the kinematic and structural parameters of the separating machine with the physical and mechanical properties of the raw material. One of the critical indicators of SM's quality is its main fraction's purity, which has been adopted as a criterion for the efficiency of the separation process using a pneumatic sorting table. The purity of the main fraction of SM is understood as the content of the primary culture in it, expressed as a percentage of the weight. The method makes it possible to predict the process's quality indicators depending on the material's properties that get processed and to reduce the time for setting up the pneumatic sorting table for a specific culture. Keywords: economic efficiency, seed material, biological potential, separation, vibro-pneumatic fluidized bed, multiphase environment, pneumatic sorting table, seed injury, germination.