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Article
Peer-Review Record

Simulation Analysis and Test of Pneumatic Distribution Fertilizer Discharge System

Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2282; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102282
by Biao Cheng, Ruiyin He *, Yong Xu and Xuzheng Zhang
Reviewer 1:
Reviewer 3:
Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2282; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102282
Submission received: 4 August 2022 / Revised: 13 September 2022 / Accepted: 19 September 2022 / Published: 23 September 2022

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is a high-quality mechanical engineering (fluid mechanics) study. The paper is not directly in the scope (subject areas) of the Agronomy Journal. It is primarily intended for mechanical engineering (MSc) graduates. There is no doubt that it also provides some operational information, but the article primarily provides methodological information for development engineers.

The data provided in the abstract are correct.

The purpose of the study should be stated more clearly in the introduction. It seems to the reviewer that the goal here is to develop scientific modeling. This findings are based on the fact that the work can form the basis of the coupling Artificial Neutral Networks (ANNs) and CFD method, through which the “Pneumatic Distribution Fertilizer Discharge System” can operate completely autonomously, continuously adapting to soil unevenness, and with the expectations of the different manager zones and atmospheric conditions.

It is natural that the authors want to comply with precision technology. At the same time, there are two important requirements here: 1. Accurate application of fertilizer corresponding to the set value on a unit surface; 2. At the borders of the manager zones, the change of the applied quantity must also be accurate. The latter is the bigger challenge.

The long-term goal is to design a fertilizer spreader that can not only change the applied amount, but also the nitrogen potassium phosphorus mass ratio autonomously according to the agronomic expectations of the manager zones.

2. Materials and methods

General comments

The method and the results are often mixed up!

The statistical analyses should also have been carried out for field experiments, because the paper would then better meet the requirements and scope of the Agronomy with information related to the operation.

The schematic diagram of the experimental equipment and the description of its operation are correct. Urea particle related parameters contain the necessary parameters (μ=1.82×10~5  Pa•s= μ=1.82×10-5  Pa•s)

Internal structure diagrams of distributors are clear.

Sections I-I and II-II must be drawn in Figure 3. The calculated result is also displayed here.

The physical drawing of test bench is a photo.

The simulation test analysis should be at the start of the chapter 3. Results and Discussion.

Chapter 3. Results and discussion is high-quality work that also includes operational consequences. It does a good job of comparing the results of the research work with the experiences reported in the literature.

Chapter 4. The Conclusion could be more detailed. In its current form, it does not reflect the high quality of the research work.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Try to use agronomy template

This paper have a lot of mismatch

 

Line                     OBS

 

 

8                           Abstract must be a single paragraph of about 200 words maximum

 

43                        Missing space between "application" and "[8]"

49-50    First time when you use an abbreviation you must give all description "Discrete Element Method (DEM),  Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)"

81                        Missing space before "3" and "4"

82                        Missing space before "6" and "8" (in my PDF line 82 are in page 3 and line 82 are in page 2, try to move line in the same line with Figure 1)

89                        Remove extra line

94                        Missing dot "." at the end of text (after "[14]")

95                        Missing space before table 1

110                      Missing dot "."  (replace the character "" with ".")

111-113              If you can put all the table in the same page will be great. in table "107" 7 doesn’t look like superscript

114                      Missing space between table 2 and text from line 114 (use template indication)

116                      Correct formulae aerodynamic viscosity μ=1.82×10~5 Pa•s 

125                      Missing space between "pipe." and "Under"

129                      Equation 2 - Use the same font and font size in all equation

152                      Must be in the same page with equation 4

158                      Missing space between "angle" and "θ=90°"

161                      Text doesn’t respect template

162                      Missing space before table 3

172                      Isn't correct [20]-[21] correct to [20-21] or to [20,21]

175                      Fig. 2A correct to Figure 2(a)

182                      Try to use some more contrast if is possible / Figure.2 correct to Figure 2.

183-184 Try to move in the same page with figure and figure description. Also use the same font size (a looks smaller than b and c)

186                      ζ = zi (zeta)

              ξ = xi (Xi) Equation 5 ???!!!

187                      Something goes wrong N/M looks upper

194                      Missing some space after line

203                      After this line move your figure

204                      Remove extra line

215                      Missing space after "Q + q,"

216                      Use comma "pp,"

218-219 Try to move in the same page with equation 7

231 and 232 are extra line try to remove

238 and 239 are extra line try to remove

244 and 245 are extra line try to remove

248 and 249 are extra line try to remove

253 and 254 are extra line try to remove

259 and 260 are extra line try to remove

263, 264 and 265 are extra line try to remove

In equation 15 and 16 there is a confusion between Alpha and Beta

270                      Remove "His" before "Where...."

274                      Give some more explication for table 4.

275                      Missing some space before this line

273-275 Try to move in same page with Table 4

276                      Missing figure 4 text explication

278                      Missing space after

284-295              Remove extra space

296                      "Where, X is the amount of fertilizer discharged each time, g; n is the number of measurements." What did you mean with "g"

Also give more explication for equations 17-19

298                      This line is extra space you must remove

299                      Missing space before text (template)

308                      "per mu" what is "mu"

309                      Correct "(maximum (maximum urea flow"          

311                      Missing space before text - also missing explication text for table 5

In table 5 use comma (,) not symbol ""

315                      From here to the end text must be JUSTIFY

322                      Correct "Realizable" to "realizable"

323                      Correct "Velocity" to "velocity"

328-331 Remove extra lines

332                      Must be in the same page with equation 20

338-340              Remove extra line

341                      Missing explication text for table 6

356                      Must be in the same page with figure 5 - also must be after image not before - missing explication text for figure 5

373                      I think is new paragraph here

378                      This text after image not before

380                      This text after image not before

382-393 Remove extra line

394                      Why b is bolded 

                             Missing explication for figure 7 (also explication for 7 (a) and 7(b))

 

401                      Correct this "[19[22][23]." must be "[19,22,23]."

424                      This text after image not before

438                      This text after image not before

                             Missing explication for figure 8 and 9

 

455                      More explication text

457                      Missing some space before

472                      Missing explication text for table 9 and 10

483                      Some space before

484                      Some space before

485                      Some space before

 

486                      Some space before

501                      Conclusion are too short

543                      References doesn’t respect TEMPLATE

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The problem of pneumatic conveying of solid materials and their uniform distribution through various outlets is a major problem that affects many agricultural machines such as seeders and fertilizer spreaders, which still does not achieve good practical solutions.

In this work, the behavior of a distributor design is analyzed both by numerical modeling and with a laboratory test. The approach is very interesting, but to be fully valid it requires including some details that have not been taken into account, or at least not detailed in the article, such as:

1) what system is used to control the dose of fertilizer that is injected into the blower tube

2) Nothing is said about the pipes that have to transfer the fertilizer from the distributor ring to the different outlets, neither in the theoretical model nor in the laboratory model.

Without this information, the usefulness of the work is very limited.

Below are some errata detected and some comments in particular.

line 31. It says '...fertilizer used in the past compared to 1980 [2]'. Please clarify the term 'past', it is very imprecise'

bibliography, all the references are from China, but I'm sure that there are a lot of literature in English on this type of machines that has not been consulted.

Table 1, 1st. parameter, what unit is 'mu' in kg/mu? Idem lines 146, 308, 321.

line 117, it says '...calculated that its free...', it should say '...calculated that the free...'

Table 3 and line 166, what 'R' is in the expression 'R/D'?

line 172, En the phrase '...[21]. It was found...', the point must be replaced by a comma ','

So the result will be: '... .[21], it was found...'

lines 187 to 192, which refer to formula (5), the meaning of some abbreviations is missing, unclear, or incomplete. A drawing with the abbreviations would facilitate their understanding.

lines 214 to 217, the writing must be improved. Some drawings must be included to a better description of the sections.

line, 309, the text '(maximum) is repeated.

Section 2.3.1. how the fertilizer application rate is controlled? The fertilizer particles where characterized (mass, size distribution, shape...?

Table 5. The last line is repeated.

line 322. Table 3? I suppose it is Table 6.

line 322. It says 'k − εRealizable model in Fluent.' this sentence is incomplete

line 345. I do not understand this sentence well, it says '...pipe is clogged and stable..' what do you consider 'clogged' and what 'stable'?

lines 394 and 395, this text is part of Figure 7 caption.

Section 3.3. A big problem with this type of distributor is to achieve a homogeneous dosage between the outlet tubes. Table 7 provides mean values for the entire set and the coefficient of variation between rows, but the data for each row is not shown. Nor has it been explained how the different values provided in this table have been measured, for example, in the 'Average fertilizer application rate / (g)' column, the mass values shown refer to the sum of all the fertilizer collected for each outlet pipe for a time x? Time, which by the way, I can't find anywhere.

line 481. It says '...by spss', please, clarify.

Section 3.3.1. In this section some statistical analysis appears, but there is not a detailed explanation of the methodololy used (this should be included in the M&M section). For a better understanding, in tables 8, 9 and 10, instead of generic terms (group, in the group...) please put the varables and factor that are being compared.

line 498, it says 'fertilizer application efficiency' I suppose you wish to say 'fertilizer dosage'

One last comment, in this work nothing is said about the outlet tubes that go to the different furrows, I suppose that their shape, length, etc., will influence the resistance of the air, and therefore of the fertilizer that circulates through they. Actually, to obtain valid practical conclusions, this part must be included both in the modeling and in the laboratory tests.

 

 

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

You didn't correct any of my observation. 
Your cover latter are the paper without any observation

Author Response

please see the attached files.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors have taken into consideration some of the reviewer's comments, others have been omitted.

In no case, the authors justify the modifications or omissions.

Some of the reviewer's comments may be debatable, and perhaps the authors have a different vision of the problem than the reviewer, but for this there is a reasoned debate between authors and reviewers, but this debate has not been used.

Some typographical errors still exist and new ones have been introduced, for example, the editing of equations (3), (4) and (5), among others, needs to be improved.

In the 'Conclusions' section, the first sentence should be better written.

Author Response

please see the attached files.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

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