NUMERICAL MODELING OF A MACHINE FOR SEPARATION AND CLEANING OF CASTOR BEAN SEEDS FROM FRUITS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36910/acm.vi51.1853Keywords:
castor bean, seed, cleaning, separation, modelling, optimizationAbstract
In modern EU strategies, the development of the bioeconomy plays an important role, aiming at the gradual replacement of petrochemical raw materials with biological ones. The agricultural sector can make a significant contribution to this process by cultivating industrial crops on low-productive lands. One of the promising crops is castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), which is suitable for technical oil production. However, its harvesting and processing are complicated due to the uneven ripening of the fruits and the lack of specialized machines.
This study proposes a new design of a machine for cleaning castor bean seeds, which combines mechanical fruit shell destruction with subsequent aerodynamic cleaning. The proposed machine integrates crushing and reverse cones with rubber linings to break the fruit shells without damaging the seeds, along with an aerodynamic cleaning system for removing light impurities. Using numerical modeling in Simcenter Star-CCM+, based on DEM and CFD methods, the interaction between the fruits and the machine’s working parts as well as the separation processes were analyzed. Regression equations were developed to determine the seed separation productivity, the share of unthreshed fruits, and the content of viable seeds in the seed collector, depending on technological parameters. The optimal values are: the gap between the crushing and reverse cones – 8.6 mm; the rotation speed of the crushing cone – 291 rpm; the feed opening diameter – 98 mm; the cone axis inclination angle – 3.6°; the airflow velocity – 6 m/s; and the sieve inclination angle – 20.3°. The proposed machine ensures high-quality cleaning of castor bean seeds with minimal damage, increases productivity, and reduces dependence on manual labor, which is crucial for the industrial processing of this crop.
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