Simulation of Salix Harvesting and Processing Technology Using Soft Containers

Abstract

In recent years, the world agriculture business has developed the technology of growing fast-growing willow - salix. Salix is a renewable energy resource that is profitable to grow by farmers for their own needs. The economic feasibility of growing salix as a biofuel largely depends on the technology of its harvesting and processing. This article proposes a technological scheme for harvesting and processing salix into fuel wood chips using a tractor-mounted mower-chipper and soft containers (CT), which allows reducing the downtime of the mower-chipper compared to traditional technology using hopper trailer for transporting wood chips (TT). The effectiveness of the CT was evaluated by comparison with the TT. The analysis of efficiency was carried out by results of simulation experiments on mathematical models. As a result of the experiments, it was found that the total time for harvesting and processing salix into chips, including the transportation of chips to the storage site, the CT has no advantages over the TT. The advantages of CT are in reducing investment costs and minimizing downtime of the mower-chipper.