Reservation of a grain harvester power for soybean harvesting in the Amur Region

Abstract

Under the conditions of increased soil moisture, the bearing capacity of the soil decreases and soil stickiness increases leading to increased energy costs for moving wheeled combine harvesters during soybean harvesting. A calculation and analytical method revealed a shortage of power in the standard power units of grain harvesters in the Amur Region used for harvesting at the recommended operating speeds of 7.2–9 km h. Due to a decrease in the traction coefficient at soil moisture levels of 24–26% and increased travel costs, soybean harvesting by wheeled combine harvesters have to be suspended. Power balance calculations revealed a harvesting power shortage in the range of 4.9–24.4 kW for 92% of the combine fleet. Therefore, research aimed at reserving power for grain harvester travel is relevant. To address this issue, a proposed method for compensating for the lack of power involves installing an additional backup power source with a control unit for electromagnetic clutches and electric motor speeds which serves as a drive for the air-screen cleaning system activated in areas of the field with high moisture content. Laboratory and field trials of the upgraded combine harvester were conducted to validate the proposed method for reserving and redistributing the power flow to the combine harvester’s drive units. Field trials were conducted in an experimental field of the Federal Scientific Center “All-Russian Soybean Research Institute” in the village of Sadovoye, Amur Region, with soil moisture content of 26% using the Sentyabrinka soybean variety. The working gear was the second one with a fully variable transmission. The purity of the bunker soybean grain from the upgraded combine harvester was 97.8% including 4.1% of crushed seeds. The proposed method has been proven to maintain productivity and meet agronomic requirements for the quality of soybean harvesting using a wheeled combine harvester in high-moisture soils.