A Study on Design and Operational Factors of Rice Whitening Systems Consisting of Abrasive and Frictional Whiteners -Operational Criteria-

조합식(組合式) 정백(精白)시스템의 설계(設計) 및 작동인자(作動因子)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)(II) -작동기준(作動基準) 설정(設定)-

Operation of rice whiteners has been depending on operator's experience only and very limitted data are available for operational criteria of rice whiteners in Korea. With developments of new rice varieties and with a tendency of automation of machine operations for precision control, operational criteria depending on physical characteristics of rice grains arc required for an improvement of milled rice recovery and the performance of rice whitening systems. An experimental study was conducted to identify operational criteria of a rice whitening system consisted with an abrasive-aerated whitener developed newly and a frictional-aerated whitener being used commercially. Further, comparisons were made between the performance of the rice whitening system adopted for this study and a commercial system used in small scale milling plants. Results of this study are summarized as follows: 1. Total number of passes necessary for the final white rice in the combined whitening system depended exclusively on the counter pressure level of the frictional whitener successive to the abrasive whitener. 2. The counter pressure required for whitening Japonica type rice variety (Akibare) was higher by about 1.6 times than that for Japonica type (Pung-san), when other conditions were kept at the same. 3. Radial pressure in the whitening chamber of the frictional whitener should be maintained between 1.5 to $2.1kg/cm^2$ for the completion of whitening within 5 to 3 passes regardless of rice varieties. Hence, it was found that the radial pressure in the whitening chamber could be used as an operational criteria to control the counter pressure level. 4. The following regression equation was found between radial pressure($R_p$) in whitening chamber and electric power consumption of the whitening system: $$EPC=-0.545\;R^2_p+1.277\;R_p+0.874[KWH/100kg]$$ 5. The following multiple regression equation was found among radial pressure ($R_p$), counter pressure ($C_p$), and bioyield point ($B_i$), length (L) and width (W) of brown rice. $$R_p/(B_i/W^2)=0.547\{C_p/(B_i/W^2)\}^{0.365}(L/W)^{0.120}(R^2=0.9897)$$ 6. The milled rice recovery and machine efficiency (kg/KWH) from the combined whitening system were higher by about 2.0% point and by 15 to 27% point than those from the conventional system, respectively.