Technology, energy, agriculture transport AIC

Dmytro KONDRATUK – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Agroengineering and Technical Services of the Vinnytsia National Agrarian University, (3, Solnyshchaya St., Vinnitsa, Ukraine, 21008, e-mail: kondratuk@vsau.vin.ua, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1827-1717).

Pavlo LUTS – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Senior Lecturer of Department of machines and equipment of agricultural production of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (3, Solnyshchaya St., Vinnitsa, Ukraine, 21008, e-mail: luts@vsau.vin.ua, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3776-8940). 

Ihor BABYN – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of machinery and equipment for agricultural production of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (3, Soniachna St., Vinnytsia, Ukraine, 21008, e-mail: ihorbabyn@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7070-4957).

Viktor DMYTRENKO – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Potato Growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, (22, Chkalova St., Nemishayev settlement, Buchanan district, Kyiv region, Ukraine, 07853, e-mail: vik8320@meta.ua,  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1866-6188).

The article presents the results of research on the technological process of hay harvesting with additional drying of grass by active ventilation. In Ukraine, the most widespread is the preparation of loose hay, the volumes of which exceed 70%. Loose hay is harvested by drying mowed grass in the field or by further drying with active ventilation. Harvesting loose hay by drying grass in the field is accompanied by significant losses of nutrients, which exceed 40%. The use of active ventilation allows you to reduce nutrient losses, since in this case the grass is taken from the field at a humidity of 35…40% and further dried by blowing atmospheric or heated air through the grass. Haystacks are used for drying with active ventilation, as well as closed rooms in which ventilation units can be installed. When choosing drying equipment, it is advisable to use such criteria as the possibility of obtaining feed with maximum preservation of nutrients at the lowest possible specific energy consumption for the process. Such drying equipment should have a simple design and ease of maintenance. Grass drying occurs due to the difference in water vapor pressure in the air and on the surface of the grass. The vapor pressure in the air that is pumped into the straw rick should be lower. This situation occurs when the relative humidity of the air in the pores between the plants is less than the equilibrium humidity of the air. It is shown that hay harvesting using active ventilation should be considered as a flow process that includes: mowing grass, drying mowed grass in the field, picking up and transporting the dried mass, drying the dried grass by active ventilation. To ensure the continuity of the flow, it is necessary to equalize the output for changing all links of the flow process complex. The dependencies are given, which allow determining: air velocity in the grass layer during ventilation; required fan performance; hay yield per hectare; specific pressure losses in the meadow clover layer; power of the electric motor for driving the fan; volume and quantity of harvested hay.

1.    DSTU 4674:2006. (2008). Hay. Technical conditions. Kyiv, Ukraine. [in English].
2.    Kaletnik, H. M., & Yaropud, V. M. (2023). Numerical simulation of the drying process by active ventilation of the products of fractional processing of legumes in a convective belt dryer. Engineering, Energy, Transport AIC, 121(2), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.37128/2520-6168-2023-2-1 [in Ukrainian].
3.    Shinners, K. J., Boettcher, G. C., Hoffman, D. S., & Muck, R. E. (2014). Drying rate and dry matter losses during field drying of alfalfa. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 30(5), 745–753. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.30.10595 [in English].
4.    Kondratyuk, D. G., & Solona, O. V. (2023). The influence of working parts of rakes-tedders on mechanical losses during hay harvesting. Engineering, Energy, Transport AIC, 121(2), 116–122.  https://doi.org/10.37128/2520-6168-2023-2-12 [in Ukrainian].
5.    Agriculture-growing-animal-feed. (2015). Retrieved January 8, 2026, from URL: https://agriculture-growing-animal-feed.blogspot.com/2015/04/blog-post_96.html 
6.    Mujumdar, A. S., & Law, C. L. (2010). Drying technology: Trends and applications in postharvest processing. Drying Technology, 28(9), 1135–1152. https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2010.497606 [in English].
7.    Rotz, C. A., & Muck, R. E. (2018). Changes in forage quality during harvest and storage. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 34(6), 1037–1046. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.12813 [in English].
8.    Onwude, D. I., Hashim, N., Janius, R. B., Nawi, N. M., & Abdan, K. (2016). Modeling the thin-layer drying of agricultural products: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 66, 540–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.08.020 [in English].
9.    Kondratiuk, D. G., Luts, P. M., & Zozuliak, I. A. (2025). Research of processes of active ventilation and drying of agricultural crops for further storage. Visnyk of Kremenchuk Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi National University, 4(153), 370–377. https://doi.org/10.32782/1995-0519.2025.4.44 [in Ukrainian].
10.    Tarpukraine.com. (n.d.). Hay harvesting. Retrieved February 5, 2026, from URL: https://tarpukraine.com/ua/a85377-zagotovka-sena.html
11.    Vuzlit.com. (n.d.). Methods and techniques of hay harvesting. Retrieved February 5, 2026, from URL: https://vuzlit.com/753043/sposobi_tehnika_zagotivli_sina
12.    Garkavyi, A. D., Kuzmenko, V. F., & Kholodyuk, O. V. (2009). Justification of the design and technological parameters of the cutting device for stem fodder with disk knives. Bulletin of the Dnipropetrovsk State Agrarian University, 2, 105–108. [in Ukrainian].
13.    Kotov, B., Spirin, A., Kalinichenko, R., Bandura, V., Polievoda, Y., & Tverdokhlib, I. (2019). Determination of the parameters and modes of heliocollector constructions for drying grain and vegetable raw material by active ventilation. Research in Agricultural Engineering, 65(1), 20–24.  https://doi.org/10.17221/73/2017-RAE [in English].
14.    Zheng, D., Li, L., Chen, G., Zhou, Y., & Liu, K. (2024). Numerical study of low-temperature ventilation drying in a wheat grain silo considering non-uniform porosity distribution. Applied Sciences, 14(1), 96, 1–16.  https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010096 [in English].
15.    Postnikova, M., & Sharapov, O. (2018). Analysis of the technological process of drying grass fodder. 642–645. URL: http://elar.tsatu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/5664 [in Ukrainian].
16.    Komakha, V. P. (2012). Improvement of the technological process and justification of the parameters of the mower-conditioner (Candidate of Technical Sciences dissertation). Vinnytsia National Agrarian University. [in Ukrainian].
17.    Makkar, H. P. S., & Becker, K. (2019). Feed and feed additives: Effects on animal health and production. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 250, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2019.01.002. [in Ukrainian].