Investigation of seed distribution on the surface of the depositing electrode from the grain material supply in the process of seed disinfection in electric fields
Authors:   Institute of Mechanics and Automatics of Agroindustrial Production of the National  Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Sakhnevych V. G. 
Published: December 2024

Purpose. Determination of technical and
technological parameters of the electrotechnological
means for presowing disinfection and stimulation of
seeds in the electric field depending from the
coefficient of distribution of seeds of crops on
the surface of the precipitating rotating electrode.
Methods. Analytical and calculation method
using the structural and technological parameters of
the working area of the means for pre-sowing
disinfection and stimulation of seeds in an electric
field and the data on the physical and mechanical
properties of crop seeds.
Results. A prototype of an electrotechnological
device for pre-sowing disinfection and stimulation of
crop seeds by a complex of electrophysical actions has
been developed. The main condition for effective
disinfection of seeds on the surface of a disk electrode
in a high voltage electric field is the turning of
the grains in the working space of the electrode
system and their uniform distribution by the thickness
of the grains in one layer on the surface of the rotating
depositing electrode. This movement of the seed
masses on the moving electrode ensures uniform
treatment of each grain, which increases the efficiency
of the process of disinfection of seed and grain
material. To implement the process of pre-sowing
disinfection and stimulation of seeds in an electric
field, a structural and technological scheme of seed
feeding and distribution in the working area of
the electrode space of the device was developed
Analytical dependences of feeding, expected
productivity, and design parameters of the device
scrapers on the coefficient of distribution of crop
seeds on the surface of the depositing rotating
electrode were obtained. They allow us to establish
what the seed supply to the surface of the depositing
electrode should be, and, accordingly, the performance
of the prototype and the parameters of the scraper
system to ensure the turning of the seeds in space and
their uniform distribution by the thickness of the seeds
in one layer on the surface of the rotating depositing
electrode.
Conclusions
1. The dependence of the supply of crop seeds
to the surface of the electrode in terms of the expected
productivity of the plant on the coefficient of seed
distribution kz in the working area of processing was
established. The distribution of seeds on the electrode
surface in terms of specific gravity depends on the
supply of seeds to the disk, the height and length of
the scrapers. Uniform distribution of wheat, soybeans,
corn, sunflower seeds on the surface of the disk in
a single layer is achieved when kz = 1. In this case,
the seed supply to the disk is in the range of 0.3–
0.6 kg/s.
2. The parameters of the scraper system in
terms of the length and height of the three scrapers
depended on the type of crop seeds and their supply to
the working area of the electrode system. The length

of the first scraper for different seeds was in the range
of values 229–246 mm, height – 18–24 mm;
the second – 164–181 mm and 36–47 mm; the third -
83–132 mm and 54–71 mm, respectively. The specific
weight of seeds on the surface of the disk is 1.3–
3.7 kg/m2. The expected productivity of the prototype
of the electrotechnological means for seeds of
agricultural crops will be in the range of 0.7–2.1 t/h.
Keywords: seed distribution coefficient,
scraper system, seed disinfection, electric field,
productivity, feeding, electrotechnological installation,
pathogenic microflora, molds