Open AccessCFD Analysis of Different Aeration Ducts on Temperature and Airflow in Stored Maize
Author(s) -
Marcos Eduardo Viana de Araújo,
Eloiny Guimarães Barbosa,
Márcio Arêdes Martins,
Paulo César Corrêa,
Elisa Guimarães Barbosa,
Rodrigo Starneck Lopes de Araújo,
Felipe Augusto Ferreira Gomes
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of agricultural science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1916-9760
pISSN - 1916-9752
DOI - 10.5539/jas.v11n2p301
Subject(s) - airflow , aeration , computational fluid dynamics , silo , mechanics , duct (anatomy) , environmental science , materials science , mechanical engineering , engineering , waste management , physics , medicine , pathology
The conditions of temperature and airflow distribution in the mass of stored grains are highly influenced by the configuration of the aeration ducts. However, silos are large structures, and the physical experiments on them become expensive and slow. Thus, this study aimed model and evaluate the temperature and airflow distribution in a maize mass, stored in a metal silo with different geometries of aeration ducts, using CFD (computational fluid dynamic). CFD was used to model and evaluate aeration ducts of square, ring, double bar and single bar shape. The proposed model was validated from experimental data. The airflow distribution and temperature in the grain mass were analyzed at different points. The ducts of a square and a ring shape showed better distributions of airflow in the grain mass, with averages of 0.00236 m s-1 and 0.00275 m s-1, respectively. The square shape aeration duct, presented better temperature values in the middle layer of the grain mass during aeration, with average 25.09 °C. CFD can be used in decision making for the best design of a silo, saving financial resources and time, as long as the parameters used in the simulation are reliable and represent the reality.