Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Fuel consumption during cereal and rape harvesting and methods of its reduction

Author(s):

Liudvikas Špokas, Dainius Steponavičius ^*

Recieved Date: 2011-06-20, Accepted Date: 2011-10-17

Abstract:

The engine uses fuel even when the combine-harvester does not work, and during its operation when it passes through the stubble, and harvests the crop. When the combine-harvester with single threshing-separation rotor stops, the technological drives are switched off and the rotation frequency of the engine (the power of which is 343 kW) is minimized from 2100 min^-1to 1200 min^-1, it uses by 27.3 l h^-1 less fuel. When combine-harvester operates in idle mode passing through the stubble with the switched on technological drives at the speed of 8 km h-1, the hourly fuel consumption is 35.7±0.3 l h^-1. When the drives are switched off and the rotation speed of the motor is reduced from 2100 to 1000 min^-1, the fuel consumption is only 14.8±0.8 l h^-1, at the operation speed of combine-harvester of 8 km h^-1. During rape harvesting, when the stubble height is increased from 0.2 to 0.3 m, the hourly fuel consumption decreases by 4.9±0.5 l h^-1, and when the rotation of the threshing-separation rotor is increased from 500 to 650 min^-1 the fuel consumption increases by 5.2±1.2 l h^-1 additionally. When combine-harvester is supplied with the rational flows of winter wheat, barley and winter rape (14.5, 12.0 and 10.0 kg s^-1, respectively) during the operation the average hourly fuel consumption of the combine-harvester is as follows: for winter wheat 90.1±1.6 l h^-1, barley 80.5±2.8 l h^-1, and winter rape 71.3±0.4 l h^-1. The fuel consumption to harvest one ton of winter wheat grain is 2.8 l t^-1, barley 2.7 l t^-1, and winter rape 4.0 l t^-1. When the fuel is planned for the next harvesting season the average operation time of combine-harvester, its idle running and downtime should be estimated.

Keywords:

Crop harvesting, combine harvester, fuel consumption, rotor rotation speed, combine throughput

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2011
Volume: 9
Issue: 3&4
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 257-263

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