Queda de pressão estática através de uma massa de frutos de amendoim (Arachis hypogaea L.) e os principais fatores que influenciam.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to study the factors that influence the static pressure drop throughout a mass of peanuts, strain BR-1, belonging to the Spanish group, produced by Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria-CNPA/EMBRAPA, planted in the Brejo and Agreste regions in the State of Paraiba-Brazil. The effects of moisture contents (8.0, 12.3, 20.0, 30.4, and 45.4%), layer thickness (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m), drying column filling method (free, gush, and bucket elevator), impurity percentage (0, 6, 10, and 15%), drying air temperature (26.7, 42.42, 51.25, 71.1, and 85.1 °C), and airflow rate (7.27, 21.88, 44.86, 62.85, and 85.85 mVmin.m2) were evaluated. The results allowed to conclude that, for BR-1 peanuts variety, there was an increase in the static pressure drop with increasing moisture content levels, layer thickness, and airflow rates. However, as increasing percentages of impurities of the crop with dimensions greater than the peanuts were added to tha- product mass, it was observed variations in static pressure drop for the temperature range of 26.1 to 85.1 °C, reaching a minimum of 0.58 mm of water column/m for an air temperature of 85.1 °C, and a maximum of 2.80 mm of water column/m for an air temperature of 51.25 °C, at an airflow rate of 7.27 m3/min.m2. Of the three filling methods used, the bucket elevator was the one that resulted in the greatest static pressure drop due to the product drop height utilized, that may have caused greater compacting of the peanuts mass.