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Zephyrus: Grain Aeration Strategy Based on the Prediction of Temperature and Moisture Fronts

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Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture—Theme III: Decision

Part of the book series: Springer Optimization and Its Applications ((SOIA,volume 184))

Abstract

Grain aeration is an established low-cost and chemical-free technology for maintaining favorable storage conditions for the safe preservation of grain quality. Currently, the most efficient controllers are based on simulations of the aeration process. They frequently depend on complex programming codes, which limit their implementation for professionals who work in the postharvest sector, resulting in longer computing times. In this work, a new aeration control strategy, called Zephyrus, was proposed based on the prediction of speeds and changes of temperature and moisture fronts while air is passed through a grain bulk. The proposed controller was tested in a pilot study, resulting in a grain cooling of 11.4 °C with a moisture content variation of 0.6%, also maintaining an average temperature gradient of 2.6 °C throughout the grain bulk. Along the 6 months of study, the energy required for cooling 0.42 t of grain was 0.06 kWh t−1 °C−1 (0.30 kWh t−1). The proposed control strategy was also compared with two other controllers by using simulation procedures. Results showed that Zephyrus was more efficient to achieve grain cooling for 56% of the simulated scenarios. When considering the power consumption, Zephyrus required lower electrical energy per mass of cooled grain in 44.5% of the simulated scenarios. Zephyrus control strategy can be used with different aeration system designs, automatically adjusting its set points according to the geographic region and season.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the FAPEMIG/Brazil (CAG—APQ-01389-15) for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of São João del-Rei, Sete Lagoas, Brazil

    D. C. Lopes & A. J. Steidle Neto

Authors
  1. D. C. Lopes
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Correspondence to D. C. Lopes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dionysis D. Bochtis

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Aarhus, Aarhus N, Denmark

    Claus Grøn Sørensen

  3. Department of Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Spyros Fountas

  4. Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece

    Vasileios Moysiadis

  5. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Panos M. Pardalos

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Lopes, D.C., Steidle Neto, A.J. (2022). Zephyrus: Grain Aeration Strategy Based on the Prediction of Temperature and Moisture Fronts. In: Bochtis, D.D., Sørensen, C.G., Fountas, S., Moysiadis, V., Pardalos, P.M. (eds) Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture—Theme III: Decision. Springer Optimization and Its Applications, vol 184. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84152-2_9

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