MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF SEPARATION OF COWPEA AND IMPURITIES IN A PNEUMATIC CLEANER WITH COUNTER-FEED
ADEWOLE A. ADERINLEWO 1, ABDULGANIYU O. RAJI 2 1. Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria
2. Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Mathematical models were developed to study the displacements of cowpea and impurities particles and to predict cleaning efficiencies during separation in a vertical pneumatic cleaner. The predicted horizontal displacements were plotted against the vertical displacements at different angles of injection and air velocities. The plots showed that at a particular air velocity the amount of impurities that are removed from cowpea increased as the angle of injection increased. Experimental studies also confirm that cleaning efficiencies increased as the angle of injection increased at a particular air velocity. There was a high correlation between the predicted and experimental cleaning efficiency.
