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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Dawson, Georgia » National Peanut Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #169178
Title: MANAGING FARMER STOCK AERATION AND VENTILATION SYSTEMS IN THE SOUTHEAST

Author
item Butts, Christopher - Chris
item BROWN, S - UGA
item ARTHUR, F - GRAIN MARKETING, KS

Submitted to: American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2004
Publication Date: 10/5/2004
Citation: Butts, C.L., Brown, S.L., Arthur, F.H. 2004. Managing farmer stock aeration and ventilation systems in the southeast. American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts.

Interpretive Summary: NONE REQUIRED

Technical Abstract: A two-year study was conducted to determine acceptable management schemes for aeration and ventilation systems for farmers stock peanut warehouses. Four 1/10th scale warehouses with a north/south ridge orientation were equipped with overspace ventilation and in-floor aeration systems. One warehouse had only overspace ventilation with fans providing approximately 1 air change of the headspace every 2 minutes. The second warehouse had overspace ventilation and a single tunnel for forcing air up through the peanuts at a rate of 0.12 m3/min/t. The third and fourth warehouses had no overspace ventilation and were aerated using three ducts on the floor. Aeration fans pushed air up through the peanuts in one and pulled air down through the peanuts in the other. The aeration rate in these last two houses was 0.4 m3/min/t. All fans were controlled by a single microprocessor based on temperature and/or humidity conditions in each warehouse. The automated controller measured temperature of the ambient air (Ta), the overspace (Tos), the roof (Tr), and peanuts on the east (Te) and west (Tw) sides of the peanut pile and relative humidity in the over space (RHos) and ambient air (RHa). Twelve samples were placed in each warehouse, six of which had dataloggers to record temperature and relative humidity in the samples. Overspace ventilation fans were automatically turned on when any one of the following three conditions were true: (1) Tos ' 21C, (2) RHos ''80%, (3) RHos ' 60% and Tos -Tr ''7.2C. Aeration fans were managed in two different stages; 1) cool down and 2) maintenance. During the cool down phase, aeration fans were on if (Te+Tw)/2 ' Ta and RHa ' 80%. During the maintenance phase, fans were on when if (Te+Tw)/2 ' Ta and 60% ' RHa ' 80%. Warehouses were fully loaded over a two-day period from mid-September to mid-October and unloaded in two days in late March or early April. Total peanut weight was recorded as each warehouse was loaded and unloaded. Fifteen random samples were obtained from each wagon used to load the warehouses. Three were used to determine the initial quality while three samples were placed in each warehouse. Samples were retrieved during unloading and their quality determined. Quality measures included percent foreign material and LSK, kernel size distribution, moisture content, and aflatoxin concentration.