Adjustable Fan Blade Angle for Sugarcane Harvester Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sugarcane harvesters face inefficiencies in their primary extractor fan assemblies, leading to excessive power consumption and 'field losses' due to varying field conditions, which affect the separation of crop residue from sugarcane billets, resulting in significant monetary losses.
Innovation Solution
A sugarcane harvester with a primary extractor fan assembly featuring adjustable angle incidence blades controlled by a rotary actuator, allowing for optimized air flow and power consumption based on real-time conditions, ensuring efficient removal of crop residue while minimizing billet loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the primary extractor fan operates at high power to remove crop residue, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but power consumption increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The fan blade angle of incidence is made adjustable through a rotary actuator mechanism, allowing the fan to dynamically adapt its operating characteristics to varying field conditions such as crop density, moisture content, and harvesting speed, thereby optimizing the balance between cleaning efficiency and power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of blade angle of incidence to control fan performance. By adjusting this geometric parameter, the system modifies air flow characteristics and power requirements to match actual operating conditions, resolving the contradiction between high cleaning efficiency and excessive power consumption
2Productivity
If the fan speed is increased to improve air flow, then crop residue removal is enhanced, but billet loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable blade angle mechanism enables the fan to dynamically optimize its air flow characteristics for different operating conditions, allowing sufficient air flow for effective cleaning while preventing excessive billet discharge that would occur at fixed high speeds
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the blade angle of incidence parameter, the system optimizes the relationship between air flow generation and billet discharge. This parameter adjustment allows the fan to produce adequate air flow for crop residue removal while minimizing the harmful effect of excessive air flow that would cause billet loss
3Reliability
If the fan is designed for high power consumption to handle heavy loads, then it can process difficult field conditions, but it becomes inefficient under light loads
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary actuator mechanism enables the fan to dynamically adjust its power output and air flow characteristics to match the actual loading conditions, transitioning from high-power configuration for heavy loads to optimized lower-power operation for light loads, thereby improving overall energy efficiency while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The blade angle of incidence is adjusted as a key parameter to optimize fan performance across different load conditions. This parameter change allows the same fan assembly to efficiently handle both heavy and light loads, eliminating the need for excessive power consumption while maintaining the capability to process difficult field conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the efficiency of sugarcane harvesting by reducing power consumption, improving air flow distribution, and minimizing billet losses, thereby increasing overall harvesting performance and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
A fan assembly is located at the primary extractor, and includes fan blades coupled to a rotary actuator
Implementation Method 2
the fan blades have an adjustable angle of incidence. An actuator adjustably controls the angle of incidence of the blade by controlled rotation of the blade at its connection to the rotary actuator
Data Source
AI summary
A sugarcane harvester for harvesting sugarcane including a cutter configured to cut sugarcane into a sugarcane mat. An extractor is operatively connected to the cutter, and includes a fan housing having an inlet configured to receive the sugarcane mat and an outlet configured to discharge crop debris. A fan is located in the fan housing to move the sugarcane mat through the fan housing and includes a motor, blades rotatably coupled to the motor, and a blade angle of incidence mechanism operatively connected to the blades, wherein the blade angle of incidence mechanism adjusts the angle of incidence of the blades with respect to the motor. Sensors identify an air flow through the fan housing or a load placed on the motor during movement of the sugarcane mat through the fan housing. The angle of incidence of the blades is adjusted based on one or both of the air flow through the fan housing or the load placed on the motor.