Optimization of basecutting parameters in laboratory setting to minimize energy requirements for sugarcane harvesting

Patrick Scharf

Bioenergy has been a valuable resource for energy needs throughout the world for centuries. However, more recently the use of bioenergy as an alternative to fossil fuels to meet the current and future energy demands of our modern world has become an international focal point. The conversion of biomass to usable forms of energy, such as biofuels, is one of the important methods of utilizing bioenergy. Sugarcane is one of the widely used sources of biomass as it has a positive energy balance (energy derived is greater than the energy required to grow, harvest, and convert sugarcane to usable forms of energy). The energy efficiency of mechanical harvesting systems is one way to further improve the energy balance of sugarcane and make its use as a bioenergy resource more sustainable. Mechanical sugarcane harvesters perform many operations simultaneously, one of which is the basecutting operation. Sugarcane basecutting energy consumption is affected by various factors related to the basecutting operation. This study investigated how the basecutting disc rotational speeds, basecutting blade clearance angles, sugarcane stool feeding rates, and sugarcane stool diameters affected sugarcane basecutting energy consumption under laboratory conditions using sugarcane samples grown in Island of Maui, Hawaii. In this study, several factor-level combinations of these parameters were tested using a Taguchi orthogonal experimental design to establish the optimized factor settings to minimize the amount of energy needed to make the base cuts. The study was completed using a laboratory-based simulation platform of a basecutting mechanism of a sugarcane harvester. The optimum settings for minimizing basecutting energy consumption per unit area of sugarcane cut are a basecutting rotational disc speed of 400 rpm, a basecutting blade clearance angle of 11º, a sugarcane stool feeding rate of 1.34 m·s -1 , and a sugarcane stool diameter of 100 mm, with a predicted minimum basecutting energy consumption of 39.2 kJ·mm2 . Understanding how these four factors affect the harvester energy consumption will provide information for engineers to use toward improvement of the sugarcane basecutting mechanisms. Improvements to the harvester energy efficiency will lead to reduced energy inputs in feedstock production, which is important in sustainable bioenergy systems.

Optimization of basecutting parameters in laboratory setting to minimize energy requirements for sugarcane harvesting

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