RESEARCH ON THE PROCESSES OF MOTION AND SEPARATION OF COMPONENTS IN SEED MIXTURES IN A VIBROPNEUMATIC ENVIRONMENT

The article is devoted to the study of the processes of movement and separation of components in a seed mixture under the conditions of a vibro-pneumatic layer. The problem of competitiveness of grain production is highlighted through the use of seeds with high sowing qualities. The conducted research focuses on methods of improving the quality of seeds, in particular on their separation in a vibro-pneumatic environment according to physical and mechanical properties and seed density. The authors indicate a close relationship between sowing qualities and seed density. The study shows that modern technical means, such as vibropneumoseparators, have limited efficiency due to low specific load and high energy costs. However, the authors suggested improving the efficiency of seed separation in the vibro-pneumopulse layer of the grain medium, which can lead to the creation of competitive combined vibro-pneumoseparators for separating seeds by density. Graphical dependences of the main parameters of separation of seed mixtures were obtained. The main elements for CFD modeling are substantiated and the design and kinematic parameters of the working surface of the vibration-pneumopulse separator are established. The created mathematical models make it possible to predict the speed of movement of components with a small density in the vibro-pneumopulse grain layer, taking into account various factors. Based on the research results, a modernized vibro-pneumopulse separator was developed and manufactured, which increases the specific load on the sieve and reduces energy costs during seed separation. According to experimental data, an increase in air flow speed from 0.6 to 1.4 m/s helps to increase the efficiency of separating wheat seeds, reaching 70%, while the loss of high-quality seeds to other fractions does not exceed 3% (with a permissible 10%).