Fuzzy modeling of volumetric efficiency and specific energy consumption in agricultural screw conveyors

ABSTRACT: Vertical screw conveyors have low energy efficiency but this is generally acceptable within the normally low power range. Previously, a fuzzy logic approach was used to model volumetric efficiency and specific energy consumption in screw conveyors. The performance of conveyors in different working conditions and the geometry of the screw were studied. It was reported that increasing the screw speed, pitch, and loading angle also increases specific energy consumption. In this study, an intelligent fuzzy model based on the Mamdani approach was developed to predict volumetric efficiency and specific energy consumption. The model inputs included the slope, speed, and pitch of screw conveyors. The fuzzy model consists of 27 rules in which three parameters, namely the goodness of fit (η), relative error (ε), and coefficient of correlation (R), are used to evaluate the model. The goodness of fit, relative error, and coefficient of correlation values were 0.986, 5.28%, and 0.99, respectively, for volumetric efficiency and 0.987, 4.93%, and 0.99, respectively, for specific energy consumption. Results revealed that the developed model is capable of predicting volumetric efficiency and specific energy consumption in barley transport under different working conditions with high accuracy.