petr savinykh nikolay turubanov dmitry zyryanov zone Scientific and research institute of north East Agriculture in russia The russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Mixing is one of the most commonly used processes in food, animal feed, chemical, cosmetic, etc., industries. It is supposed to provide high-quality homogenous, nutritious mixtures. To provide appropriate mixing of materials while maintaining the process high efficiency and low energy consumption it is crucial to explore and describe the material flow caused by the movement of mixing elements and the contact between particles. The process of mixing is also affected by structural features of the machine components and the mixing chamber, speed of mixing, and properties of the mixed materials, such as the size of particles, moisture, friction coefficients. Thus, modeling of the phenomena that accompany the process of mixing using the above-listed parameters is indispensable for appropriate implementation of the process. The paper provides theoretical power calculations that take into account the material speed change, the impact of the material friction coefficient on the screw steel surface and the impact of the friction coefficient on the material, taking into account the loading height of the mixing chamber and the chamber loading value. Dependencies between the mixer power and the product degree of fineness, rotational speed of screw friction coefficients, the number of windings per length unit, and width of the screw tape have been presented on the basis of a developed model. It has been found that power increases along with an increase in the value of these parameters. Verification of the theoretical model indicated consistence of the predicted power demand with the power demand determined in tests performed on a real object for values of the assumed, effective loading, which was 65–75%.

The final operation of feed mixtures preparation is the mixing of components in special devices - mixers of batch or continuous type. From the zootechnical point of view, it is important not only to introduce the components in the feed mix into the required ratio, but it is also necessary that they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. It is especially important to distribute in the mass of the feed mixture components that are introduced in small amounts and have high feed value or biological activity: mixed fodders, protein-vitamin supplements (PVS), premixes, vitamins, trace elements, medicines, etc. In the Livestock mechanization Laboratory of North-East scientific research Institute of agriculture the theoretical and experimental studies of a horizontal auger belt auger are carried out. The results of experimental studies show that the maximum value of the homogeneity coefficient of the finished product is nn=83.57%, with the flow capacity of the mixer being equal to Q=5.75 tons per hectare, specific energy consumption q=1.67 kilowatt per ton.

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