Abstract:
Static storage of grain occupies the dominant position during the whole grain storage cycle in the warehouse. Changes in ambient temperature have significant influence on the temperature of grain pile in the warehouse. Ceiling thermal insulation materials installed in the warehouse help keeping grain pile at suitable storage temperature in high temperature environment. COMSOL software was applied to simulate the grain pile temperature variation within one year in a large warehouse with and without insulation materials. Results showed that the grain pile temperature in the warehouse changed significantly with ambient temperature and exhibited seasonal trends. When ambient temperature changed in autumn or winter, a high temperature zone was formed at about 1 meter to 3 meters away from the granary wall. The average temperature of the whole grain pile in the warehouse with ceiling dropped 2 ℃ to 3 ℃, and the average temperature of the upper grain pile dropped 3 ℃ to 4 ℃. Simulation results suggested that grain temperature could be effectively reduced by using thermal insulation ceiling material in the warehouse.