Performance Assessment of Front-Mounted Beet Topper Machine for Biomass Harvesting

Volodymyr Bulgakov, Simone Pascuzzi, Semjons Ivanovs, Francesco Santoro, Alexandros Sotirios Anifantis and Ievhen Ihnatiev
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Volodymyr Bulgakov: Department of Mechanics, Faculty of Construction and Design, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, 03041 Kyiv, Ukraine
Simone Pascuzzi: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Semjons Ivanovs: Faculty of Engineering, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-2130 Jelgava, Latvia
Francesco Santoro: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Alexandros Sotirios Anifantis: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Ievhen Ihnatiev: Department of Machine-Using in Agriculture, Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University, 18, Khmelnytskiy Ave., 72312 Melitopol, Ukraine

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: Sugar beet is an extensive crop of great agronomic value with significant productive and economic returns and Ukraine’s sugar beet accounts for about 5.1% of the overall world production. Sugar beets and the by-products resulting from its manufacturing transformation are a significant renewable energy resource. A new high-quality performance prototype of a sugar beet top harvester, front mounted on a tractor, was built by the authors in Ukraine. The aim of this study is to evaluate the main performance parameters related to the operation of this new machine. Field tests were carried out linking the prototype to a wheel tractor, whilst suitable sensors measured the significant kinematic and dynamic parameters, allowing experimental data collection to assess the machine’s performance parameters. The entire technological process of harvesting and transporting the beet tops to the beet top storage unit required power ranging from 6.42 to 17.65 kW. At the topmost tested forward speed, the required tractor traction force was less than 1.9 kN with the power required by the shaft that drives the screw conveyor ranging from 3.1 to 4.6 kW. This value was the lowest for a speed of the tractor–beet top harvesting machine aggregate ranging from 0.9 to 1.2 m · s − 1 .

Keywords: sugar beet; beet top cutting; tractor–harvester aggregate; biomass (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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