Stored grain compaction factor: accurate factors are necessary because volume measurements will not give exact measure of grain

It is well known that grain undergoes compression when subjected to cumulative weight exerted from the overlying material in a storage unit. The extent of compression depends on several factors associated with the stored materials (crop type, test weight, moisture content) and bin characteristics (type of bin wall material, size and geometry of the grain bin). Compression of grain leads to packing and thus adjusts the bulk density of the material. Therefore, accurate compaction factors are necessary, because volume measurements of the stored grain alone will not allow us to determine the exact amount of grain in the bin

Using Ozone for Integrated Pest Management in Viticulture

Citation: Bhadra, R. 2015. Using Ozone for Integrated Pest Management in Viticulture. Resource Magazine, July/August Issue: 22(4): 15-17. ASABE, St. Joseph, MI.The common grape, Vitis vinifera, is native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia—from Morocco and Portugal to southern Germany and northern Iran. There are currently 5,000 to 10,000 known varieties of Vitis vinifera, although only a small proportion are of commercial significance for wine (about 500 to 1,000 known subtypes), including the popular Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. California's Central Valley is the main grape-growing region in the U.S., and there has been dramatic growth in the wine industry throughout the Midwest. However, while the Central Valley has ideal climate conditions for growing vinifera varieties—including ample sunshine, dry and windy summers, mild winters, and gentle slopes—the Midwest is known for its long, cold winters and hot, humid summers. In the Midwest, vines often suffer bud and stalk injury during the harsh winters, and the humid summers can increase the risk of pest-related diseases

Handling issues in modified DDGS Bulk transportation of the feedstuff is challenging due to caking, flow problems

Citation: Bhadra, R. and R. P. Kingsly Ambrose. Handling issues in modified DDGS. World Grain Magazine, April 2014 Issue. Sosland Publishing Co., Kansas City, MO.Bulk solids handling in food and biomass processing industries is often associated with handling and transportation problems due to moisture absorption, caking, microbial growth, and overall product quality degradation

Reducing Post-Harvest Loss in Developing Countries through the Feed the Future Initiative

Citation: Bhadra, R. (2017). Reducing Post-Harvest Loss in Developing Countries through the Feed the Future Initiative. Resource Magazine. 24(3), 12-15.The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss (PHLIL), housed at Kansas State University (KSU), is a research and education program aimed at improving food security by reducing post-harvest loss of seeds and staple crops, such as grains, oilseeds, and legumes. Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s initiative for food security and ending global hunger in developing countries. PHLIL’s efforts are focused in four Feed the Future countries—Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Guatemala—as well as Afghanistan as a short term engagement

Effects of varying condensed distillers solubles, drying, and cooling temperatures on glass transition temperature of distillers dried grains

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a coproduct of ethanol fuel production, is used as an animal feed and often must be transported long distances. DDGS flowability problems often create nuisance in storage and transportation. Materials above the glass transition temperature (Tg) can exist in a “rubbery state,”’ which is often responsible for particle agglomeration and caking. This study investigated the effects of varying condensed distillers solubles (CDS) (10, 15, and 20%, wb), drying (100, 200, and 300°C), and cooling temperature (–12 and 35°C) levels on the Tg of DDGS. Tg ranged from 34 to 58°C and 41 to 59°C for cooling temperatures of –12°C and 35°C, respectively. Tg data were used to develop an overall regression model, which yielded a predictive model with R² of 0.74 and SEM of 3.16. Using this model, optimum drying and cooling temperatures were determined. These conditions may be used to reduce flow problems

Optimization and Modeling of Flow Characteristics of Low-Oil DDGS Using Regression Techniques

Citation: R. Bhadra, R. P. K. Ambrose, M. E. Casada, S. Simsek, K. Siliveru. (2017). Optimization and Modeling of Flow Characteristics of Low-Oil DDGS Using Regression Techniques. Transactions of the ASABE. 60(1): 249-258. (doi: 10.13031/trans.11928)Storage conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity (RH), consolidation pressure (CP), and time, affect the flow behavior of bulk solids such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), which is widely used as animal feed by the U.S. cattle and swine industries. The typical dry-grind DDGS production process in most corn ethanol plants has been adapted to facilitate oil extraction from DDGS for increased profits, resulting in production of low-oil DDGS. Many studies have shown that caking, and thus flow, of regular DDGS is an issue during handling and transportation. This study measured the dynamic flow properties of low-oil DDGS. Flow properties such as stability index (SI), basic flow energy (BFE), flow rate index (FRI), cohesion, Jenike flow index, and wall friction angle were measured at varying temperature (20°C, 40°C, 60°C), RH (40%, 60%, 80%), moisture content (MC; 8%, 10%, 12% w.b.), CP (generated by 0, 10, and 20 kg overbearing loads), and consolidation time (CT; 2, 4, 6, 8 days) for low-oil DDGS. Response surface modeling (RSM) and multivariate analysis showed that MC, temperature, and RH were the most influential variables on flow properties. The dynamic flow properties as influenced by environmental conditions were modeled using the RSM technique. Partial least squares regression yielded models with R2 values greater than 0.80 for SI, BFE, and cohesion as a function of MC, temperature, RH, CP, and CT using two principal components. These results provide critical information for quantifying and predicting the flow behavior of low-oil DDGS during commercial handling and transportation

Field-Observed Angles of Repose for Stored Grain in the United States

Citation: Bhadra et al. (2016). Field-Observed Angles of Repose for Stored Grain in the United States. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 33(1), 131-137. Doi:10.13031/aea.11894Bulk grain angle of repose (AoR) is a key parameter for inventorying grain, predicting flow characteristics, and designing bins and grain handling systems. The AoR is defined for two cases, piling (dynamic) or emptying (static), and usually varies with grain type. The objective of this study was to measure piling angles of repose for corn, sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and hard red winter (HRW) wheat in steel and concrete bins in the United States. Angles were measured in 182 bins and 7 outdoor piles. The piling AoR for corn ranged from 15.7° to 30.2° (median of 20.4° and standard deviation of 3.8°). Sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and HRW wheat also exhibited a range of AoR with median values of 24.6°, 21.0°, 23.9°, 25.7°, and 22.2°, respectively. Angles of repose measured for the seven outdoor piles were within the ranges measured for the grain bins. No significant correlation was observed between AoR and moisture content within the narrow range of observed moisture contents, unlike previous literature based on laboratory measurement of grain samples with wider ranges of moisture content. Overall, the average measured piling AoR were lower than typical values cited in MWPS-29, but higher than some laboratory measurements

Stored Grain Pack Factors for Wheat: Comparison of Three Methods to Field Measurements

Storing grain in bulk storage units results in grain packing from overbearing pressure, which increases grain bulk density and storage unit capacity. This study compared pack factors of hard red winter (HRW) wheat in vertical storage bins using different methods: the existing packing model (WPACKING), the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) method, and the USDA Farm Service Agency Warehouse Licensing and Examination Division (FSA-W) method. Grain bins containing HRW wheat were measured in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Packing was measured in corrugated steel bins and reinforced concrete bins with diameters ranging from 4.6 to 31.9 m (15.0 to 104.6 ft) and equivalent level grain heights ranging from 4.1 to 41.6 m (13.4 to 136.6 ft). The predicted masses of compacted stored wheat based on WPACKING, RMA, and FSA-W were compared to the reported mass from scale tickets. Pack factors predicted by WPACKING ranged from 0.929 to 1.073 for steel bins and from 0.986 to 1.077 for concrete bins. Pack factors predicted by the RMA method ranged from 0.991 to 1.157 for steel bins and from 0.993 to 1.099 for concrete bins. Pack factors predicted by the FSA-W method ranged from 0.985 to 1.126 for steel bins and from 1.012 to 1.101 for concrete bins. The average absolute and median differences between the WPACKING-predicted mass and reported mass were 1.64% and -1.26%, respectively, for corrugated steel bins and 3.75% and 2.16%, respectively, for concrete bins. In most cases, WPACKING underpredicted the mass in corrugated steel bins and overpredicted the mass in concrete bins. Comparison of the RMA-predicted mass and reported mass showed an average absolute difference of 4.41% with a median difference of 1.91% for HRW wheat in steel bins and an average absolute difference of 3.25% with a median difference of 1.03% for concrete bins. For the FSA-W-predicted mass versus reported mass, the average absolute and median differences were 3.40% and 3.86%, respectively, for steel bins and 4.34% and 3.50%, respectively, for concrete bins. Most of the mass values were overpredicted by both the RMA and FSA-W methods. Some of the large differences observed for concrete bins can be attributed to the unique geometry of these bins and the difficulty in describing these bin shapes mathematically. Overall, compared to the reported mass, WPACKING predicted the mass of grain in the bins with less error than the current RMA and FSA-W methods. Some of the differences may be because the RMA and FSA-W methods do not include the effects of grain moisture content, bin wall type, and grain height on pack factors

Field-Observed Angles of Repose for Stored Grain in the United States

Bulk grain angle of repose (AoR) is a key parameter for inventorying grain, predicting flow characteristics, and designing bins and grain handling systems. The AoR is defined for two cases, piling (dynamic) or emptying (static), and usually varies with grain type. The objective of this study was to measure piling angles of repose for corn, sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and hard red winter (HRW) wheat in steel and concrete bins in the United States. Angles were measured in 182 bins and 7 outdoor piles. The piling AoR for corn ranged from 15.7° to 30.2° (median of 20.4° and standard deviation of 3.8°). Sorghum, barley, soybeans, oats, and HRW wheat also exhibited a range of AoR with median values of 24.6°, 21.0°, 23.9°, 25.7°, and 22.2°, respectively. Angles of repose measured for the seven outdoor piles were within the ranges measured for the grain bins. No significant correlation was observed between AoR and moisture content within the narrow range of observed moisture contents, unlike previous literature based on laboratory measurement of grain samples with wider ranges of moisture content. Overall, the average measured piling AoR were lower than typical values cited in MWPS-29, but higher than some laboratory measurements

Stored Grain Pack Factor Measurements for Soybeans, Grain Sorghum, Oats, Barley, and Wheat

Grain and oilseed crops stored in bins undergo compaction due to overbearing pressure of the grain inside the structure. Thus, volume measurements of grain in bins need to be combined with the amount of packing (usually called pack factor) in addition to the initial density so that the mass in the structure can be calculated. Multiple pack factor prediction methods are in use in the grain industry, but they have only been validated in the literature and compared with field data for corn and hard red winter wheat. Predictions from WPACKING, the program in ASABE Standard EP413.2, and two standard USDA methods, the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) and USDA Farm Service Agency-Warehouse Licensing and Examination Division (FSA-W) methods, were compared to field measurements of 92 bins containing soybeans, grain sorghum, oats, barley, or soft white or durum wheat. The WPACKING predictions had the lowest absolute average error of predicted mass for soybeans, grain sorghum, barley, and wheat, while the FSA-W method had the lowest error for oats. The RMA method gave the largest prediction errors for all five crops and struggled especially with the low-density, high-compaction crops oats and barley, giving average percent absolute errors near or above 10% in both cases. Overall, WPACKING, the RMA method, and the FSA-W method had average percent absolute errors of 2.09%, 5.65%, and 3.62%, respectively, for the 92 bins. These results can be used to improve pack factor predictions for the grain industry