Cleaner is a neat operator
Cleaner is a neat operator
PERHAPS one of the most innovative pieces of kit to be seen at the Grain 97 event was to be found on the Alvan Blanch stand. It came in the form of a grain cleaner which had no moving parts, occupied a floor area of less than half a square metre, yet had a claimed throughput of 25t an hour.
Developed by the All Russian Institute of Agricultural Mechanics, the cleaner comprised a 2m high tower into which grain entered the top. The grain then meets a series of curved tined sieves as it descends through the tower.
But there is more to it than a mere sieving action. The system relies on a degree of separation through the different densities of, say, grain and chaff, and there has clearly been some thought on the angling, spacing and the number of sieve sections.
Clever performer
It is not so much how it does it, but more that it does it at all – a dog walking on its back legs comes to mind. But there is no denying that it does perform, depositing clean grain at one exit and small seeds, chaff and other extraneous material at another.
To cater for different crops, a selection of sieve sizes are available – each section slides into its holding slot.
Alvan Blanch concedes there is still some trial work to be carried out with the cleaner but says that, all being well, the cleaner could be available for the 98 season at a price of about £4500.n
The only moving part in this cleaner is the grain. Alvan Blanchs Russian development has a claimed throughput of 25t/hour.