Status of Performance of Power-Operated Mechanical Rice Threshers in the Philippines
Romulo E. Eusebio1, Delfin C. Suministrado2, and Darwin C. Aranguren3
ABSTRACT
The level of performance of the different mechanical rice threshers tested by AMTEC from 1983 to 2010were evaluated based on the available test results data. In terms of the quality of output, a great majority of the threshers tested by AMTEC showed the following: purity, above 95.0%; cracked grains, 6.0% maximum; mechanically damaged grains, 2.0% maximum; blower loss, 1.0% maximum; separation loss, 1.0% maximum and unthreshed loss, negligible. More than half of all the thresher’s tested had threshing capacity in the range of 1000 kg/h and 2000 kg/h, about 20% had capacity below 1000 kg/h and about 30% had capacity above 2000 kg/h. There is very poor correlation between power rating of threshers and threshing capacity. In terms of fuel consumption and energy use per unit of output, threshers using diesel engines are more efficient than those that use gasoline engines.
Keywords: power-operated mechanical rice threshers, rice threshers performance, rice threshers
1 Engineer III, 2Engineer IV, Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC), College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); and 3Professor, AMD, IAE, CEAT, UPLB 4031 College, Laguna, Philippines.