STUDY OF AN INSTALLATION WITH INFRARED HEATING OF GRAIN

Thermal post-harvest processing of grain currently intended to improve its quality is highly energy-intensive and expensive. The development of new means of mechanization with infrared heating of grain, capable of reducing specific energy costs for heat treatment processes, as well as ensuring resource conservation, is a pressing and important scientific and technical problem. To reduce the cost of drying, disinfection and micronization of grain, as well as improve the quality of its heat treatment, we have developed an experimental model of an installation with infrared heating. The study of the developed installation was carried out in grain drying mode. The technological process of drying wheat grain with an initial moisture content of 18...19% was chosen as the object of study. The total specific energy consumption for grain drying was taken as an optimization parameter. The rational values of the selected factors were determined as a result of a study of the developed installation with infrared heating of grain: grain drying time t1 = 1000C; the temperature created by the infrared heater inside the installation casing is tin = 650C. Next, a series of experiments was carried out on the developed installation in the above modes. In each experiment, measurements were taken of the heating temperature of the grain, the percentage of reduction in grain moisture content and the throughput of the installation were determined, and the total specific energy consumption was recorded. The heating temperature of the grain was in the range of 37 - 38.5 ºС, while the moisture content of the grain decreased by 2.56%. The developed installation provides the required quality of grain drying, maintaining a throughput of about 800 kg/h and a minimum total specific energy consumption, which amounted to 4342.3 kJ h/kg.