Influência do tamanho e da forma da seção da coluna de queda sobre os parâmetros aerodinâmicos de grãos.

Abstract

The present work had as objectives: 1) to determine the physical characteristics (size, form, volume, density, porosity, sphericity and projected area) of the grains of bean variety "carioquinha", corn variety "pe-de-boi" and soybean variety "Foscarini" and 2) to determine the aerodynamic parameters: terminal speed, drag coefficient and effect of wall of the grains submitted to the fall in vertical column of cylindrical section with diameter of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mm and also of square section with sides of same dimensions. For determination of the physical characteristics the methods described by MOHSENIN (1978) were used and for determination of the aerodynamic parameters an equipment was built composed by fan of continuous cycle, motor with 1 hp of potency;. 3600 rpm and a terminal for substitution of the vertical fall columns, all with 1m of height, where the terminal speed was measured with an anemometer. According the results obtained it was concluded that: a) none of the equations mentioned in the literature offers good approach to the experimental data of the terminal speed obtained for bean and com; b) the equation mentioned by Mohsenin offers a good approach of the experimental data of terminal speed for soybean; c) the equation given by Massarani is the one that more approaches of the experimental values of bean and corn, but it reduces the relative differences among the speeds of the different types of grains and for this reason to use it is inadequate for selection finality and other processing phases that request precision; d) the terminal speed in free fall was obtained in the column of square section of 60 mm of diameter for bean and soybean; e) for the studied parameters it cannot affirm that the terminal speed of the corn in free fall was reached, being evidenced the wall effect, including for the determination of the terminal speed in the column of square section of 60 mm; f) among all the tested columns, for all the sizes and types of grains, it was obtained larger terminal speed with the column of square section; g) there is a stabilization tendency of the drag coefficient of all the products starting from the dimensions of 50 mm, mainly in the square section and more particularly for the soybean; h) only for soybean it was obtained drag coefficient (0.42) typical of Newton's regime, very close of die Cn for sphere (0.44) in that transport area; i) the corn grain, when submitted to flow of air in columns whose relationship (Dp/Dc) > 0.3520, it changes your orientation, starting to adopt a position whose smaller projected area remains perpendicular to the direction of the flow; j) to obtain the terminal speed in fall free from products with spherecity factor in the studied range (0.60 to 0.90) the (3 value it should be smaller than 0.1173; k) the diagrams in the literature for the calculation of the drag coefficient done base on the physical characteristics, attribute coefficients typical of die transient region, some of them in the Stokes' region. However, for those products there are values very superior to 1 m s"'; 1) the equations and existent diagrams in the literature, to express the transport of particles are not appropriate to the transport and selection of grains studies.