CFD study of self-cleaning system of multi-stage tangential roller threshing unit for precise buckwheat breeding

Saddam Hussain; Hu Jianjun; Chen Yong; Asad Ali; Haiyan Song; Decong Zheng; Muhammad Usman Farid; Abdul Ghafoor; Mukhtar Ahmed

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27180

CFD study of self-cleaning system of multi-stage tangential roller threshing unit for precise buckwheat breeding

Heliyon. 2024 Feb 29;10(5):e27180. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27180. eCollection 2024 Mar 15.

Authors

Saddam Hussain^{1

2}, Hu Jianjun¹, Chen Yong¹, Asad Ali³, Haiyan Song², Decong Zheng², Muhammad Usman Farid^{4

5}, Abdul Ghafoor⁶, Mukhtar Ahmed⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
² College of Agricultural Engineering, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, 030800, Shanxi Province, China.
³ National Research Center of Pumps, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212013, China.
⁴ Department of Structures and Environmental Engineering, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
⁵ School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland.
⁶ Department of Farm Machinery and Power, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan.
⁷ Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Buckwheat is a globally recognized, nutritionally rich crop with robust adaptability, serving as a multi-purpose plant for its health benefits. Achieving precise and mechanized plot seed harvesting is a critical step in obtaining accurate results in breeding experiments. However, plot breeding requires no seed retention, no mixing, and ensures no accumulation of seed in the threshing unit. A self-cleaning technology was developed to prevent seed retention, mixing, and accumulation in the multistage tangential cylinder threshing unit. The newly designed cleaning system has five air inlets and a centrifugal fan for pneumatic cleaning. CFD simulations were conducted for each inlet position, coupled with four varying inlet velocities and the rotation speed of the main threshing cylinder. During the post-processing stage of the CFD modeling, a line consisting of fifty points was drawn beneath the threshing drums, and the air velocity at these points was recorded. The optimal configuration of inlet position, inlet air velocity, and main threshing drum rotation speed for efficient cleaning was identified based on the ratio of points beneath the drums where the airflow speed surpassed the suspension speed of buckwheat to the points where the airflow speed was lower than the suspension speed of buckwheat. The optimal configuration for "inlet_1" was identified based on the suspension velocity of buckwheat grain, with an inlet velocity of 4 m/s and a main threshing drum speed of 450 rpm.

Keywords: Buckwheat cleaning; CFD simulation; Numerical analysis; Self-cleaning; Threshing machine.