Developing a statistical model for the active ventilation of a grain layer with high moisture content

Abstract

The most important stage in the technological operations for grain production is its post-harvest processing. At this stage, the quality of the grain masses is lost because the temperature condition inside bulk grain is almost never checked during temporary storage. In order to increase the technological efficiency of primary grain processing and storage, an installation has been designed that could preserve the quality of grain at low-capacity enterprises or during temporary storage. As the self-heating of grain during storage is a serious issue, the installation would also help solve the problem related to the temporary lack of storage facilities. Thus, using active grain ventilation makes it possible to improve the resistance of grain masses to storage. The available body of research into energy-saving drying processes, active ventilation, and purification of grain from light impurities mainly resolve highly specialized technological tasks. Of interest are those studies that aim to design and implement the rational equipment structure for the active ventilation and cleaning of grain from light impurities, which make it possible to practically execute non-stationary modes. This paper considers the efficiency of active ventilation and the reduction of energy costs depending on the installation's structural parameters; specifically, the height of the chamber and the speed of supply of warm air are selected. The height of the working chamber of 1 m and the air velocity of 1.1–1.4 m/s have been experimentally proven and theoretically substantiated.