The Choice of a Promising Design of a Fertilizer Mixing Unit Using Computer Simulation Technologies

The article deals with applying solid mineral fertilizers within the framework of the precision farming system. The use of complex mineral fertilizer compositions in the fields with an uneven demand for macroelements leads to the bigger amount of fertilizer applied, which has a detrimental effect on the ecology, the physical condition of the soil and the crop itself. It is proposed to use fertilizer mixtures the composition of which has been adjusted in fertilizer mixing units. The existing mixers have been analyzed, the processes occurring during operation of the screw, drum and centrifugal mixers were simulated. The results of the simulation showed that the unevenness coefficient kс for the drum-type mixer was 8.6%, for the blade-type mixer 17.3, and for the centrifugal mixer 3.5%.