Brief: Cleaning Grain: Post II - The Machines, the Adjustments, and the Limits
GG50 Grain Cleaning Series, Post II of VI
So what: Every cleaning machine sorts on one physical difference. Know which difference each one sees and you know what it can remove and what it will miss.
Key takeaways
Screens sort on size. Scalpers take out the big trash, screen cleaners split off fines and size fractions, and graders sort kernels by width and thickness to meet a product spec.
Air sorts on how a particle acts in moving air. Aspirators pull out the light material. Air-screen cleaners put screens and air in one frame because incoming grain rarely brings only one kind of trash.
Density, length, and shape catch what screens and air can't. Destoners pull stones, gravity tables finish by density, indent cylinders and disc separators sort by length, and spirals sort by how things roll.
Some machines catch what size and weight can't show. Magnets and metal detectors protect the plant. Optical sorters go after color, mold, and damage.
Some equipment works on the kernel itself. Scourers, de-awners, and polishers get the product ready instead of separating it.
Same machine, different job. A cleaner does different work in an elevator, a feed mill, a food plant, or a seed plant. A capacity rating means nothing until you know which job it's doing.
Before you accept a capacity number, put the job next to it
Who should read the full piece: Elevator and terminal managers, feed and food plant operators, seed conditioners, and anyone sizing up a cleaning line. The full post walks through each family of machines, includes a "same machine, different job" table, and ends with a reference list of manufacturers.
Read the full post · https://www.grainguyfifty.com/post/cleaning-grain-post-ii-the-machines-the-adjustments-and-the-limits
Thank you for reading.
Regards,
Grain Guy Fifty
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