Agriculture (Jun 2022)
Structural Design and Simulation of Pneumatic Conveying Line for a Paddy Side-Deep Fertilisation System
Abstract
To improve the consistency of sectional gas velocities in different rows in the pneumatic conveying line for a paddy side-deep fertilisation system, a new airflow equaliser was designed based on the mechanism of gas flow in ventilation engineering. Subsequently, the effects of key structural parameters and a position parameter of the airflow equaliser on the consistency of sectional gas velocities in different rows were investigated using the method of single-factor tests in Fluent, which provided a reasonable range for the next orthogonal test (notch angle (A): 120–180°, extended length (B): 18–30 mm and distance between adjacent branches (C): 120–160 mm). Thereafter, the parameters were optimised through an orthogonal test, using the coefficient of variation of the consistency of the sectional gas velocities in different rows (CV) as an indicator and using Fluent software. The results revealed that the order of primary and secondary factors was evaluated as B > A × B > C > A, and when A, B and C were selected as 150°, 30 mm and 120 mm, respectively, the consistency of the sectional gas velocities in different rows could get a very effective result (CV = 7.07%). Finally, to validate the feasibility of simulations of the performance of the airflow equalisers and to practically evaluate the contribution of the optimised airflow equalisers to improve the consistency of the sectional gas velocities in different rows, a bench test for the line with the optimised airflow equalisers and a simulation test for the line without the optimised airflow equalisers were carried out and the results showed that the CV values were 9.53%, 20.69%, respectively. It concluded that the optimised airflow equalisers could significantly improve the consistency of the sectional gas velocities in different rows by comparing the CV in the three tests including the simulation test for the line with the optimised airflow equalisers. This research provides a good reference for optimising the pneumatic conveying line for a paddy side-deep fertilisation system.
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