Numerical Analysis of Temperature Field of Static Grain Storage in Semi-underground Double-storey Squat Silos

Abstract

Grain temperature is one of the most important factors that affect the safety of grain storage. In order to reveal the distribution rule of grain storage temperature field in semi-underground double-storey squat silos(SUDSSS), the mathematical analysis models of the grain piles of the ground squat silo and the underground silo are established respectively in this paper, and the validity of the models is verified by the field test results. A numerical model of the SUDSSS was established. Through numerical analysis, the temperature field variation rule of the grain pile during the 1-year static storage of the SUDSSS after low-temperature grain storage was acquired by numerical analysis. The research demonstrates that the grain temperature within 2 m of the above-ground part of the SUDSSS close to the silo wall varies significantly because of the influence of the outside air temperature, and the temperature from 10.62 to 27.37 ℃. The grain temperature in the underground part is in a quasi-low temperature state all the year round, and the average temperature does not exceed 17 ℃ of the temperature in the underground constant temperature zone. At the beginning of the winter, a heat accumulation area will be formed in the upper storey of the ground between 1 ~ 3 m from the warehouse wall in a short period of time, leading to a large temperature difference in the grain pile near the warehouse wall, and then the temperature in the peripheral area will slowly decrease, forming a ‘hot core and cold skin’, and the thermal insulation measures of the silo wall can effectively reduce the influence of temperature on the grain temperature. The highest grain temperature in the upper storey in summer is about 3.86 ℃, lower than that of the shallow silo without thermal insulation. The research results can provide technical support for the popularization and application of the SUDSSS.

Keywords

• semi-underground double-storey squat silos
• static grain storage; numerical analysis
• temperature field
• verification