• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.229-244
• /
• 1998

This study was performed to determine proper fan and heater management schemes for natural air drying of rough rice in round steel bin with stirring device under Korean weather conditions. A computer simulation model was developed to predict moisture content changes, energy requirements, and drymatter losses during drying of rough rice by natural air. Drying test was conducted to validate the simulation model using round steel bin of holding capacity of 300ton at Rice Processing Complex in Jincheon. The bin was filled with rough rice every day and mixing by stirring device. Moisture contents, ambient air temperatures, relative humidities, static pressures in plenum chamber in the bin, airflow rates, and electrical and fuel energy were measured. Relative errors of moisture content changes predicted by the simulation model were below 5ft, and relative errors of final moisture content, final grain weight, required energy ranged from 0.9% to 6%. These not levels indicated that the simulation model can satisfactorily predict the performance factors of natural air drying system such as drying rates and energr consumptions comparing error level of 10% to 15% in other drying simulation models generally used in dryer desists. Twelve different fan and heater management schemes were evaluated using the computer simulation model based on three hourly weather data from Suweon for the period of 1952-1994. The best management schemes were selected comparing the drymatter losses, required drying times, required energy consumptions. Operating fan without heating only when ambient relative humidity was below 85% or 90% appeared to be the most effective method of In operation in favorable drying weather. Under adverse drying climates or to reduce required drying time, operating fan continuously, and heating air with $1.5^{\circ}C$ temperature rise only when ambient relative humidity was over 85% appeared to be the most suitable method.

• Particle and aerosol research
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.181-189
• /
• 2018

In this study, the risk rates of different contamination sources of the contaminant in a minienvironment were analyzed through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. The airflow pattern characteristics can only predict the qualitative variation of contaminant concentration, but cannot evaluate the quantitative variations in the risk rate of sources. From the results, the ambient contamination sources mainly affect wafers in the Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), whereas the internal contamination sources mainly affect wafers laid on the robot arm in the minienvironment. And the purging plenum system is very useful in protecting the wafers in the FOUP from contaminants transferred from the Fan Filter Unit (FFU). However, this system is unable to protect the wafers on the robot arm from internal contaminants and the wafers in the FOUP from sources of the interface between the FOUP and the minienvironment.

• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2006

A need exists to monitor and control the localized high temperatures often experienced in solar grain dryers, which result in grain cracking, reduced germination and loss of cooking quality. A verified finite element model would be a useful to monitor and control the drying process. This study examined the feasibility of the finite element method (FEM) to predict temperature distribution in solar grain dryers. To achieve this, an indirect solar grain dryer system was developed. It consisted of a solar collector, plenum and drying chambers, and an electric fan. The system was used to acquire the necessary input and output data for the finite element model. The input data comprised ambient and plenum chamber temperatures, prevailing wind velocities, thermal conductivities of air, grain and dryer wall, and node locations in the xy-plane. The outputs were temperature at the different nodes, and these were compared with measured values. The ${\pm}5%$ residual error interval employed in the analysis yielded an overall prediction performance level of 83.3% for temperature distribution in the dryer. Satisfactory prediction levels were also attained for the lateral (61.5-96.2%) and vertical (73.1-92.3%) directions of grain drying. These results demonstrate that it is feasible to use a two-dimensional (2-D) finite element model to predict temperature distribution in a grain solar dryer. Consequently, the method offers considerable advantage over experimental approaches as it reduces time requirements and the need for expensive measuring equipment, and it also yields relatively accurate results.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.56-74
• /
• 2013

Stall stagnations in the system of axial-flow compressors and ducts occur in transition from deep surge conditions to decayed or converged stall conditions. The present study is concerned with the boundaries between the deep surges and the stagnation stalls on the basis of analytical results by a code on surge transients analysis and simulation. The fundamental acoustical-geometrical stagnation boundaries were made clear from examinations of the results on a variety of duct configurations coupled with a nine-stage compressor and a single stage fan. The boundary was found to be formed by three parts, i.e., B- and A-boundaries, and an intermediate zone. The B-boundary occurs for the suction-duct having a length of about a quarter of the wave-length of the first resonance in the case of very short and fat plenum-type delivery duct. On the other hand, the A-boundary occurs for the long and narrow duct-type delivery flow-path having a length about a fifth of the wavelength and relatively small sectional area in the case of short and narrow suction ducts. In addition to this, the reduced surge-cycle frequencies with respect to the duct lengths are observed to have respective limiting values at the stagnation boundaries. The reduced frequency for the B-boundary is related with a limiting value of the Greitzer's B parameter. The tendency and the characteristic features of the related flow behaviors in the neighborhood of the boundaries were also made clearer.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.263-268
• /
• 2004

Two field cooling tests were conducted to evaluate the cooling characteristic of paddy with a prototype grain cooler. The first test was carried out during summer season in a steel bin with 180.3ton of paddy at Sunchon. And the second test was carried out during harvesting season in a steel bin with 272.2ton of paddy at Ulsan. At the first test, initial paddy temperature of 23.6$^{\circ}C$ was dropped to 14$^{\circ}C$, and initial moisture content of 19.9% was dropped to 19.3% after 52.5 hours of cooling. At the second test, initial paddy temperature of 16.1$^{\circ}C$ dropped to 5.5$^{\circ}C$ after 78.0 hours of cooling. And, at the first test, the average air flow rates of chilled air leaving the grain cooler and penetrating the grain layer were 77.5 ㎥/min and 42.5 ㎥/min, respectively. To prevent leakage of chilled air from plenum chamber of steel bin, which was about 45% of the average air flow rates of chilled air leaving the grain cooler, a proper method was required. The average total power consumption at the first test during summer was 22.1 ㎾ with control of fan damper. At the second test, it was 17.4 ㎾ due to controlling the capacity of compressor with unloading solenoid valve and changing the flow rates of hot refrigerant gas flowing into evaporator and reheater from compressor, resulting in 27% reduction of energy consumption.