Computational modelling of a grain spreader for use in silos

As much as grain cleaning is carried out before storage, it is not feasible to completely remove all impurities, and part of them are still present during the loading of the grains into the storage bin. Grain loading into silos and storage bins is carried out using an equipment called grain spreader, which can vary its shape and size according to the volume of grains. The main purpose of using grain spreaders is to obtain a uniform distribution of the granular material and its impurities. One of the main problems in modelling the grain spreader is to consider the important role of air resistance. This work presents experimental data and a DEM simulation model of a grain spreader, considering soya bean grain and its impurities. The experimental data presented show that the drag force plays an important role in the process of spreading, and the results show that the incorporation of the drag force as clumps used in DEM modelling can allow realistic and computationally viable simulations of a grain spreader. • Experimental data regarding free fall of impurities were obtained. • Experimental data for the flow in a grain spreader were obtained. • Simulations using the proposed model for grain spreader flow were performed. • Simulation and experimental results show that the developed method is accurate.