Monday, February 23, 2015

The Technology Used In Seed Cleaning Equipment

By Olivia Cross


It needs effort to keep a seed in good condition for a long spell of time. Seed cleaning equipment is a facility used to prepare seeds for safe storage with minimum risks of micro-organism action. This tedious process of chaff removal has been made easy using simple technologies as discussed below.

Machines mainly used include grain cleaners such as air screeners, magnet, cylinder separators, and gravity tables among others. They are used worldwide for processing seeds like maize, wheat, maize, paddy, barley etc. However, it is practically hard to get one single seed cleaning tools to do exactly what you wish to accomplish especially with such various crops.

In choosing the type of equipment for seed cleaning consider things such as the capacity of the machine in removing the specific plant remains on the seeds and the size of the specific seeds to be prepared. A good machine is one that accepts a wide range of seed sizes and this is achieved through use of screens of various sizes. Such facilities minimize the costs of operation.

A machine with one or two working elements is known as a simple machine while a complex machine is one with several normally including fans, screens and cylinder sorters. Due to the complexity of this procedure, there is need to have the screens with dimensions. Incorporating calibrations on the different screen sizes will help simplifying the input stage on the machine as various native seeds will have their own sizes. There are also mobile and stationery machines.

The machine operation is affected by the changes in width, length and thickness of the seeds. It is also influenced by the aerodynamic properties, surface conditions, the shape of the seed and its specific weight.

This technology is a low cost initial investment. It is also economical in maintenance with most parts readily and easily made available. There are no worries in searching for the spares and in some situations they are provided with extra for replacement.

There are very simple techniques deployed in the removal of dust and discarded materials from grains. Non-vital particles are easily taken away using effortless means. The process uses different ways of threshing and sorting through screens and airflows.

Airflow plays an important role in that not all seeds will be viable, however, even though they may look normal. Due to immaturity, underdevelopment or eaten by predators, some will be light in weight. The light seed will not be removed by simple screening but with airflow either by winnowing or aspiration. Winnowing uses air that flows horizontally to separate heavy from light particles. Clean heavy seed can be then swept up and stored while the remaining is discarded. On the other hand, aspiration uses air that is in vertical motion to suspend particles in column.

Ultimately, it is important to note that the process can be harmful to human health and use of safety attire like dust masks, heavy boots, leather gloves is recommended. Plastic tubes and other containers of different sizes may also be used. Good ventilation is also required.




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