These machines clean threshed grains i.e. rice, soybean, guinea- corn, beni-seed and millet
Two types have been fabricated:
- Motorised reciprocatory Winnower/Cleaner: This cleans grains by using three sizes of screens inclined at different inclination angles and directions. An air blower is also incorporated to generate a stream of air tangentially across the grains to carry away impurities such as chaff, fine sand, unfilled grains and grass seeds as they fall through the screens.
Performance indices and Specifications:
- Capacity = 6,500kg per day
- Winnowing or cleaning efficiency = 98%
- Seed retention efficiency = 99%
- Whole seed (non damage) Percentage =100%
- Straw throwing distance from machine = 3.5m
- Power requirement (diesel engine or electric motor) = 2 – 5HP
- Air flow rate of winnowing fan = 0.16m3/sec
- Reciprocatory speed of screen = 0.25m/sec
Features:
- Adjustable air flow rates to suit cleaning of different grains
- Simplicity in the design of the reciprocatory system
- Low power consumption
- Manual winnower: This is essentially is made up of a hopper and a manually operated air blower. An air speed control device is also incorporated to regulate the air flow rate.
Features and Specifications:
- Capacity = 500kg per day
- Winnowing or cleaning efficiency = 95%
- Seed retention efficiency = 95%
- Whole seed (non damage) Percentage =100%
- Straw throwing distance from machine = 1.0
- Air flow rate of winnowing fan
- Reciprocatory speed of screen
Features:
- Adjustable air flow rates to suit cleaning of different grains
- Suitable to work in rural areas without electricity
- Low manual energy requirement