Immersion of grains in a liquid along an inclined plane

Abstract

Grain material delivered from combine harvesters to post-harvest processing points is a mixture of grain, weed and harmful impurities. Toxic ergot sclerotia are among the harmful impurities. Modern grain cleaning machines do not provide the separation of toxic ergot from grain material in one technological process. This is due to the closeness of the most toxic of ergot sclerotia and the of the grain. Ergot sclerotia are less dense than grain. Then the release of ergot from grain in one technological process is possible in an aqueous solution of salt. To develop a device for cleaning grain material by density in a liquid, practical experiments were carried out to supply grains of winter rye varieties Falenskaya 4 with a moisture content of 14% to an inclined plate placed in water. This plate mimicked the sloping bottom of an ergot seed separator. The statistical results of the experiments are presented by the distributions of the proportion of immersion of winter rye grains in water (ρzh = 1000 kg/m3) over the surface of the inclined plate from the angle α of its inclination to the horizon. It has been established that 100% immersion of the grains in water occurs at an angle of inclination of the plate of 60°. When developing a machine for the extraction of ergot from rye grain, the angle of inclination of the bath bottom must be taken at least 65° to the horizon for guaranteed immersion of grains in an aqueous solution of salt.