Separation of Alfalfa Silage Into Stem and Leaf Fractions in a Horizontal Airstream

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aerodynamic drag coefficient was used as the differentiating characteristic in the separation of alfalfa haylage into leaf and stem fractions in a horizontal wind tunnel. The effects of air velocity, moisture content, feed rate, and air stream height on particle distribution and separation efficiency were investigated. To evaluate the separator a protein improvement index and separation efficiency were calculated. Results indicated that both increased airstream height and air velocities (up to 8 m/s) improved separation efficiency. An increase in either moisture content or feed rate resulted in a decrease in separation efficiency. Regression equations were developed to estimate protein improvement and separation efficiency as functions of airstream velocity, moisture content, and feed rate.