THEORETICAL RESEARCH ON HARVEST QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF ROOT CROPS AND POTATOES WITH A SEPARATING SYSTEM USING THE HEAT OF EXHAUST GASES

Abstract

Improvement of technologies and development of appropriate technical means for cultivating all types of agricultural products is one of the energy-consuming segments of production. In addition, due to difference in biological characteristics of agricultural plants, energy costs for harvesting of surface and underground crops, the main representatives of which are mostly vegetable and some types of technical crops, prevail in favor of the latter. To improve the quality of sugar beet root harvesting in conditions of high moisture, it is proposed to use a separating system in the harvester design, which ensures energy efficiency of work with the possibility of simultaneous operations of digging, separating of root crops from soil and plant impurities and blowing of the separating surface with hot exhaust gases from the power plant of the harvesting machine. The aim of the study is to substantiate theoretically the technological and operational parameters of the separating system of harvesters using the heat of exhaust gases to improve the quality of root crop and potato harvesting in the conditions of high soil moisture. The object of the research is technological process carried out by the separating system of the harvester, which is represented by a cleaning star with installed deflectors for blowing on working surface of the separator with the exhaust gases of the power plant. Consistent patterns that allow to determine the design and technological parameters of the proposed separating system are presented. The results of the theoretical studies indicate the prospects for further experimental work to improve individual design elements of the proposed separating system.