Transcript Operational Techniques for Tracking Bulk Grain through Handling Systems and Supply Chains

Operational Techniques
for Tracking Bulk Grain
through Handling Systems and Supply Chains
Maitri Thakur
Graduate Research Assistant
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering
Iowa State University, Ames, IA
August 27, 2007
Traceability in Bulk Grain Handling
Source
A
Source
B
Common
Storage
Silo
Source
C
 Commingling of
grain lots
 Lot identity not
maintained
Manufacturing
Plant
Cookies
Source: Food and Drug Administration
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Research Objectives
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Simulation modeling of grain flow patterns
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FIFO – First In, First Out (Mass Flow)
LIFO – Last In, First Out (Funnel Flow)
NIFO – Next In, First Out (Simultaneous Bin emptying
and filling with Funnel Flow)
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Grain Inventory Management
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Electronic record-keeping of bulk material in a
grain elevator
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LIFO Grain Flow Model
Grain and Bin Specifications
 Shape : Cylindrical, Flat-bottom,
Bottom-draw
 Diameter (D): 15 feet (4.6 m)
 Opening diameter (d) : 30 cm (0.3
m)
 Grain : Soybeans
 Angle of Repose (Θ) : 35°
 Coefficient of friction (c) : 0.3
 Bulk Density (ρ) : 770 Kg/m3
 Mass Flow Rate* = 170 bu/min
(* ASABE D274.1:
Flow of Grain and Seeds Through Orifices)
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Grain Forces
m2
m2s
m2s
ρgAh
h
Fc
Fc
m1
m1s
m1s
m1g
x
d
D
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Differential Equations
Forces acting on m1:
m1g + ρgAh – Fc - Fc=m1d2x/dt2
dm1/dt = ρAdx/dt
dm2/dt = dm1/dt – 2*dm1s/dt
c1 = m1/(m1+m2)
c2 = m2/(m1+m2)
……. (1)
……. (2)
……. (3)
……. (4)
……. (5)
where,
c1 = Proportion of mass m1 in outbound load
c2 = Proportion of mass m2 in outbound load
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Simulink Model
770
Rho
4.25
h
Product
Divide
35316
g
x''
x'
0.07
1
s
A
Integrator1
1
s
x
Integrator2
Scope
2c*x'/m1
-C-K-
m1
Ro*A
m1'
54.4
1
xo s
m2'
m1
c1
Integrator4
simout
To Workspace
m2
1
s
Integrator3
K
C
10
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0.3
1
m2
c2
Subtract
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Simulation Results
Proportion of Loads M1 and M2 in Outbound Load
1
0.9
0.9
M2
M1
0.7
0.6
0.5
m1 = 2000 bu
0.8
m2 = 2000 bu
0.6
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
5
10
15
20
0
25
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
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Time (min)
Time (min)
Proportion of Loads M1 and M2 in Outbound Load
1
0.9
0.8
M2
M1
0.7
0.6
C1, C2
0
m1 = 2000 bu
m2 = 1000 bu
0.5
0.4
0
M2
M1
0.7
C1, C2
0.8
C1, C2
Proportion of Loads M1 and M2 in Outbound Load
1
m1 = 2000 bu
m2 = 500 bu
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
5
10
15
Time (min)
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Simulation model Results
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Proportions of loads m1 and m2 in the outbound
load can be determined at any given time
Proportion of m1 decreases and m2 increases
with increasing time
As m2 empties out, proportion of m1 starts
increasing exponentially till it reaches an
equilibrium value
Model needs to be tested for real elevator bin
data
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FC Bin Tracker
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FC Bin Tracker
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FC Bin Tracker
No ID for trucks recorded !!
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FC Bin Tracker
?
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Available vs. Required Information
Available
Required
 Inbound Grain ID
 Complete in- house grain
movement log
 Inbound Bin ID
 Inbound quality parameters
 Outbound grain quantity
 Partial records for:
in-house grain
movement
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daily grain log
grain movement for
different FC locations
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 Accurate bin-to-bin log
(precise air-space
measurements)
 Inbound bin-to-truck log in
case of truck overloads
 FC location-to-location grain
log (inbound and outbound)
 All bushels should be
accounted for
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Possible Solutions
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Divide the bin in horizontal layers
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Date & time to establish grain position within bin
Assign a unique ID to each layer
Follow Grain Flow simulation to determine
amount of inbound loads in a given outbound
load
Assign ID to the piles
Record all grain movement (piles, drying,
overloaded trucks, etc)
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Solution
Relational Database
Management System
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Elevator Grain Traceability Scenario
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Entities
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Activity date and time
Scale Ticket (Grain ID)
Grain (corn or soybeans)
Bin ID
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Inbound
Outbound
Transferred Bushels
Grain Origin
Grain Destination
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Elevator Grain Traceability Scenario
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Relationships for different entities:
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A bin can contain grain from different sources i.e.
a bin can contain different scale tickets
A scale ticket corresponds to an activity date and
time
Bushels can be transferred from one bin to others
Transferred bushels (out) can have one
destination
Transferred bushels (in) can have one origin
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Elevator Grain Traceability Scenario
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Database questions:
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What bin contains grain corresponding to a
particular scale ticket?
What are all the locations for the outbound grain
from a given scale-ticket/ grain ID?
What bin contains the grain transferred from a
particular overloaded truck?
…………. ?
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Elevator Grain Traceability Scenario
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Microsoft Access can be used
Primary Key: Scale ticket (Date and time
stamp)
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Grain Traceability: Relationships
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Conclusions (Further Steps)
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Develop a database for record keeping
Update grain tracking model for:
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multiple grain layers in the bin
different bin specifications
different grains
Combine the database and tracking simulation model
to create a Bulk Grain Traceability Model
Expand the database and simulation model to include
the supply chain network
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