RESEARCH OF GRAIN BATCH FORMATION BY MIXING

Quality indicators of grain, which delivers from agricultural producers to elevators and grain terminals, vary widely due to the natural and climatic conditions of crop cultivation and harvesting, varietal characteristics of crops. At these enterprises the primary processing of grain (cleaning, drying), its storage and formation of grain batches for customers with the quality indicators provided in the signed contracts take place. For functioning of the enterprises with high profitability it is necessary to provide effective use of grain raw materials of various quality which is stored at the enterprise. At these enterprises, formation of grain batches is provided by mixing grain with different quality indicators. Mixing is also used for formation of grain batches, that allow us to produce flour with stable properties and rational use of raw materials. The main task of the grain mixing is to obtain homogeneous mixtures in which grain with different quality indicators is evenly distributed throughout the batch. For mixing of bulk materials, which include grain of agricultural crops, mixer designs of periodic and continuous action, in particular, tape, screw, drum, gravitational, vibrating are developed. Elevators, grain terminals and flour mills must mix large volumes of grain in a continuous stream, respectively, grain mixers must be continuous, they must not damage the grain and energy costs for the process must be minimal. So, the use of gravity grain mixers of continuous action is promising, because they do not consume energy for the mixing process, and they do not damage the grain because they do not contain active working bodies. Study of the possibility of forming grain batches by mixing was carried out on a gravity mixer of the column type. According to the results of experimental study of mixing wheat and rye grain of four colors that mimic grain with different quality indicators, the satisfactory quality of grain mixture can be obtained by mixing grain flows in seven sections of the proposed mixer. The value of the coefficient of heterogeneity of such a mixture of wheat and rye grains does not exceed 20%.