Project Setting:
The customer company conducts its business in the field of food production. As part of the project, the company needs to organize the production of germinated soybeans. For soybeans germination germinating chamber with favorable conditions for seed germination traditionally is used. The study of the germinating chambers offered by third-party manufacturers showed that they do not meet the requirements of the Customer because of low mechanization of technological processes, structural complexity, high-energy consumption and low maintainability. To implement successfully the project and to obtain high-quality germinated soybeans, it is required to design and manufacture a germinating chamber to germinate soybeans.
Project Solution:
- Design of a metal cupboard of the germinating chamber;
- Design of a water system for the germinating system, including irrigation and drainage systems;
- Design of a ventilation system for the germinating chamber;
- Manufacture of the germinating chamber;
- Automation of the germinating chamber;
- Development of specialized software;
- Pre-commissioning works.
Project Results:
The germinating chamber is a cabinet divided into left and right sections. Each section is equipped with trays for six soybean seeds. The cabinet body and all components are made of stainless steel. The cabinet walls are thermally insulated for temperature control inside the germinating chamber. Each tray is provided with a fine water supply (spraying with water nozzles), as well as a drainage system that removes excess moisture from the trays into the storage tank. A pump is used to supply water from the storage tank to the nozzles. The storage tank performs the functions of ultraviolet purification and water heating to the optimum temperature (+ 20 … + 28⁰С). In the back wall of the cabinet there are openings for air intake from the atmosphere and a fan for release of excess carbon dioxide from the cabinet. Cabinet dimensions are 2000 × 2000 × 450 mm.
Automatic parameter control:
- purification of water in the storage tank with ultraviolet lamps;
- heating of water in the storage tank with heating elements (optimum temperature + 20 … + 28⁰С);
- regulation of the running time of the irrigation system;
- regulation of the switching interval of the irrigation system;
- control of air temperature inside the germinating chamber;
- control of seeds temperature inside the tray (it is based on measuring of the seeds temperature in the trays, one in each section);
- automatic activation of the irrigation system when the temperature inside the germinating chamber is higher than the preset temperature;
- control of the water level in the storage tank;
- control of air humidity inside the germinating chamber;
- fixing the time and date of laying soybean seeds in trays.
