Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Pneumatic Control Of A Variable Orifice Nozzle, Joe D. Luck, Michael P. Sama, Santosh Pitla, Scott A. Shearer

Conference Presentations and White Papers: Biological Systems Engineering

A variable-orifice nozzle with droplet optimization was recently developed and introduced for use on agricultural sprayers. The VariTarget (VT) nozzle reacts to changes in the system flow rate via a metering assembly that is controlled by a diaphragm and spring. As the liquid pressure changes, the VT metering assembly attempts to control the flow rate and spray pattern exiting the nozzle. The goal of this study was to replace the spring controlled “reactive” system with a pneumatically controlled metering assembly. The proposed system would allow for the metering assembly to adjust the flow rate and spray pattern exiting the nozzle …

Impact Of Preferential Flow Paths On Alluvial Groundwater Flow Patterns And Phosphorus Transport, Derek M. Heeren, Ronald B. Miller, Garey A. Fox, Daniel E. Storm, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Chad J. Penn

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

While surface runoff is considered to be the primary transport mechanism for phosphorus (P), subsurface transport through coarse subsoil to gravel bed streams may be significant and represent a source of P not alleviated by current conservation practices (e.g., riparian buffers). Previous research has documented P transport in a preferential flow path (PFP) identified as a buried gravel bar. It is hypothesized that PFPs, if connected to the soil surface, provide a rapid and efficient method of transporting P, and that these alluvial features are transient storage zones for nutrients, acting as a sink during high flow and a source …

Geophysical Mapping Of Preferential Flow Paths Across Multiple Floodplains, Ronald B. Miller, Derek M. Heeren, Garey A. Fox, Daniel E. Storm, Todd Halihan, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

In the Ozark ecoregion of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, the erosion of carbonate bedrock (primarily limestone) by slightly acidic water has left a residuum of chert gravel, producing gravel-bed streams and floodplains generally consisting of coarse chert gravel overlain by a mantle (1 to 300 cm) of gravelly loam or silt loam. Previous research has documented the occurrence of preferential flow paths (PFP) in an alluvial floodplain hypothesized to be a buried gravel bar. Field experiments have shown that the PFP affected alluvial groundwater flow in the floodplain and that water flow in the PFP was transmitted at rates that …

Multi-Robot System Control Architecture (Mrsca) For Agricultural Production, Santosh Pitla, Joe D. Luck, Scott A. Shearer

Conference Presentations and White Papers: Biological Systems Engineering

Coordinating multiple autonomous robots for achieving an assigned collective task presents a complex engineering challenge. In this paper multi robot system control architecture (MRSCA) for the coordination of multiple agricultural robots is developed. The two important aspects of MRSCA; coordination strategy and inter-robot communication were discussed with typical agricultural tasks as examples. Classification of MRS into homogeneous and heterogeneous robots was done to identify appropriate form of cooperative behavior and inter-robot communication. The framework developed, proposes that inter-robot communication is not always required for a MRS. Three types of cooperative behaviors; No-cooperation, modest cooperation and absolute cooperation for a MRS …

A Study On Torrefaction Of Various Biomass Materials And Its Impact On Lignocellulosic Structure Simulated By A Thermogravimetry, Wei-Hsin Chen

Wei-Hsin Chen

Polarized Light Based Scheme To Monitor Column Performance In A Continuous Foam Fractionation Column, Janakiraman N. Swamy, Czarena L. Crofcheck, M.P. Mengüç

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: A polarized light scattering technique was used to monitor the performance of a continuously operated foam fractionation process. The S11 and S12 parameters, elements of the light scattering matrix, combined together (S11+S12) have been correlated with the bubble size and liquid content for the case of a freely draining foam. The performance of a foam fractionation column is known to have a strong dependence on the bubble size distribution and liquid hold up in foam. In this study the enrichment is used as a metric, representative of foam properties and column performance, and correlated to the S11+S12 parameter.

RESULTS: …

Extrusion Of Aquafeeds Containing Corn Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs) For Nile Tilapia, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Mehmet C. Tulbek

Kurt A. Rosentrater

As the global population grows, there is an increasing need to produce food; aquaculture can help meet some of this growing demand. The majority of protein for aquafeeds is fish meal. But due to growing costs and potential scarcity of fish meal supplies in coming years, there is an impending need to find alternative protein sources. DDGS, a coproduct of the fuel ethanol industry, may be suitable for this purpose. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of extrusion processing conditions on two feed blends containing DDGS and other ingredients. Based on previous research, two optimized aquafeeds …

Predicting Stability Of Distiller’S Wet Grains (Dwg) With Color Analysis, R. M. Lehman, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distiller’s wet grain (DWG) is one of the coproducts from the fuel ethanol industry. Although many studies have investigated the nutritional properties of DWG, little work has investigated the storability and shelf life for these feed products or how to measure these quantities. The objectives of this research were to measure the development of microorganisms and their respiration over time in freshly produced DWG and to determine if there was a quantitative relationship between these microbiological parameters and a more easily measured physical property, DWG color. The numbers of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, molds and yeasts, and carbon dioxide generated by …

Nutrient Transport In Runoff From Feedlots As Affected By Wet Distillers Grain Diet, John E. Gilley, Jason R. Vogel, Roger A. Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Brian L. Woodbury

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Distillers byproducts can serve as valuable sources of protein and energy for beef cattle. However, the water quality effects of the use of distillers byproducts in cattle rations are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to: (1) measure soil properties and nutrient transport in runoff from feedlot surfaces as affected by corn‐based and wet distillers grain diets, (2) compare the effects of unconsolidated surface materials and consolidated subsurface materials on feedlot soil characteristics and runoff nutrient transport, (3) determine if runoff nutrient transport from feedlot surfaces is correlated to selected feedlot soil properties, and (4) identify the …

Reducing The Cost Of Pumping Irrigation Water, Derrel L. Martin, William L. Kranz, Tom W. Dorn, Steve R. Melvin, Alan J. Corr

Conference Presentations and White Papers: Biological Systems Engineering

Irrigation accounts for a large portion of the energy used in Nebraska agriculture. The cost to pump irrigation water depends on the type of energy used to power the pumping unit. This document describes a method to estimate the cost of pumping water and to compare the amount of energy used to that for a well maintained and designed pumping plant. The results can help determine the feasibility of repairing the pumping plant.

Effects Of Processing Conditions On Single Screw Extrusion Of Feed Ingredients Containing Ddgs, Nehru Chevanan, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a feed coproduct from the fuel ethanol industry, has been shown to be a viable potential alternative protein source for aquaculture feeds. To investigate this, three isocaloric (3.5kcal/g) ingredient blends containing 20, 30, and 40% DDGS, with a net protein adjusted to 28% (wet basis, wb), were prepared for use as Nile tilapia feed. Extrusion processing was then conducted using three DDGS contents (20, 30, and 40%, wb), three moisture contents (15, 20, and 25%, wb), three barrel temperature gradients (90–100–100°C, 90–130–130°C, and 90–160–160°C), and five screw speeds (80, 100, 120, 140, and 160rpm) …

Twin Screw Extrusion Of Ddgs-Based Aquaculture Feeds, S. Kannadhason, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Michael L. Brown

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Six isocaloric (3.65 kcal/g), isonitrogenous (35% dry-basis [db] protein), ingredient blends were prepared with 0, 17.5, 20, 22.5, 25, and 27.5% distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and other ingredients (soybean meal, corn, fish meal, whey, soybean oil, vitamin and mineral mix). The blends were moisture balanced to 15% db, then extruded in a twin screw extruder using a 2 mm die at 190 rpm, and a 3 mm die at 348 rpm. Analyses of the extrudates included moisture content, expansion ratio, unit density, bulk density, sinking velocity, color (L*, a*, and b*), water absorption, water solubility, and pellet durability …

Pump Operation With Vfd Controlled Motors, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

There are numerous reasons to consider using a VFD (variable frequency drive) controller with pumps in irrigation and drainage.These include: 1

1. Proper matching of the pump characteristics with the system. Reasonable engineers and salespersons will almost always overdesign pumps. It is very simple – if the pump is too small, there will be complaints. If, on the other hand, the pump delivers a bit more pressure than needed, there is rarely a complaint. Reasons to overdesign include:

Updating The Nebraska Pumping Plant Performance Criteria, William Kranz, Derrel L. Martin, Dean Patterson, Jerry Hudgins, Simon Van Donk, C. Dean Yonts

Conference Presentations and White Papers: Biological Systems Engineering

Irrigation water is removed from groundwater storage using deep well turbine pumps powered by electric motors or diesel, gasoline, propane, ethanol, or natural gas internal combustion engines. For best operating efficiency irrigation power units are selected to specifically meet the requirements of the irrigation system that include how deep the water in the well is under pumping conditions, the water pressure required at the pump outlet, and the system flow rate. The evaluation of pumping plants to establish pumping plant performance dates back into the 1950’s when researchers at the University of Nebraska were unable to directly compare the operation …

Cytotoxicity Of Bacterial-Derived Toxins To Immortal Lung Epithelial And Macrophage Cells, Dianne E. Peterson, Jayne M. Collier, Matthew E. Katterman, Rachel A. Turner, Mark R. Riley

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Health risks associated with inhalation and deposition of biological materials have been a topic of great concern due to highly publicized cases of inhalation anthrax, of new regulations on the release of particulate matter, and to increased concerns on the hazards of indoor air pollution. Here, we present an evaluation of the sensitivity of two immortal cell lines (A549, human lung carcinoma epithelia) and NR8383 (rat alveolar macrophages) to a variety of bacterial-derived inhalation hazards and simulants including etoposide, gliotoxin, streptolysin O, and warfarin. The cell response is evaluated through quantification of changes in mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase activity, release of …

Evaluation Of Measurement Procedures Used To Determine The Bulk Density Of Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs), Clairmont L. Clementson, Klein E. Ileleji, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

The production of corn-based ethanol in the U.S. has been dramatically increasing in recent years, and consequently so has the quantity of co-products, especially distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), generated from this industrial sector. DDGS is sold as a commodity for animal feed, and like corn, its bulk physical and chemical properties are quality attributes that can be used in trading by merchandisers. Consistency in product quality has been a cause for concern in the industry, and the lack of standard methods for physical and chemical property determination potentially confounds the issue, especially when results of attributes measured by …

Greening The Curriculum: Augmenting Engineering And Technology Courses With Sustainability Topics, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Elif Kongar

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Duties of engineers and technologists often entail designing and implementing solutions to problems. It is their responsibility to be cognizant of the impacts of their designs on and thus, their accountability to society in general. They must also be aware of subsequent effects upon the environment. They need to be able to concurrently satisfy these often competing priorities as well as constraints specific to the technical challenges at hand. Responding to these contending forces are the growing fields of green engineering and sustainable engineering. Both of these areas encompass many concepts, ideas and tools all of which are essential for …

A Continuous Mathematical Model Of The One-Dimensional Sedimentation Process Of Flocculated Sediment Particles, Sebastian Fernando Torrealba

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A new continuous one-dimensional sedimentation model incorporating a new continuous flocculation model that considers aggregation and fragmentation processes was derived and tested. Additionally, a new procedure to model sediment particle size distribution (PSD) was derived. Basic to this development were three different parametric models: Jaky, Fredlund and the Gamma probability distribution (GPD) were chosen to fit three different glass micro-spheres PSDs having average particle sizes of 7, 25 and 35 microns. The GPD provided the best fit with the least parameters. The bimodal GPD was used to fit ten sediment samples with excellent results (< 5% average error). A continuous flocculation model was derived using the method of moments for solving the continuous Smoluchowski coagulation equation with fragmentation. The initial sediment PSD was modeled using a bimodal GPD. This new flocculation model resulted in a new general moments’ equation that considers aggregation and fragmentation processes, which is represented by a system of ordinary differential equations. The model was calibrated using a genetic algorithm with initial and flocculated PSDs of four sediment samples and four anionic polyacrylamides flocculants. The results show excellent correlation between predicted and observed values (R² > 0.9878). A new continuous …

Hydraulic Geometry Relationships And Regional Curves For The Inner And Outer Bluegrass Regions Of Kentucky, Ruth Roseann Brockman

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Hydraulic geometry relationships and regional curves are used in natural channel design to assist engineers, biologists, and fluvial geomorphologists in the efforts undertaken to ameliorate previous activities that have diminished, impaired or destroyed the structure and function of stream systems. Bankfull channel characteristics were assessed for 14 United States Geological Survey (USGS) gaged sites in the Inner Bluegrass and 15 USGS gaged sites in the Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky. Hydraulic geometry relationships and regional curves were developed for the aforementioned regions.

Analysis of the regression relationships showed that bankfull discharge is a good explanatory variable for bankfull parameters such …

Laboratory Performance Of A Mass Flow Sensor For Dry Edible Bean Harvesters, Rodrigo S. Zandonadi, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Scott A. Shearer, Daniel M. Queiroz, Michael P. Sama

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Due to the importance of yield monitoring, researchers have been developing systems for crops such as tomatoes, forage, sugar cane, citrus, and coffee. A yield monitoring system for pull type dry edible beans harvester has not yet been developed. The goal of this project was to design and test a drive torque measurement device on a clean grain bucket elevator of a dry bean harvester, and evaluate its potential to be used as a mass flow sensor. Tests were conducted in the Yield Monitor Test Facility (YMTF) of University of Kentucky following the recommendation of ASABE Standard S578 (2007) The …