Drilling for hydrocarbons is an expensive operation; consequently operators try to save costs by reducing the number of days spent during this operation. Drilling efficiently with the highest attainable rate of penetration is one of the ways drilling time could be reduced. Real-time monitoring of Mechanical Specific Energy will enable drilling engineers to detect when the optimum drilling rate for a given set of drilling parameters is not being achieved. Numerous works have been done on air hammers and rock Mechanical Specific Energy. Previous research has shown that Mechanical Specific Energy, which is a ratio that quantifies the input energy and Rate of Penetration (ROP) of a drilling system, is directly proportional to the rock compressive strength being drilled. The Mechanical Specific Energy model utilizes drilling parameters such as ROP, Weight on bit (WOB), RPM, torque, flow-rate, bottom-hole pressure, and bottom-hole temperature to show how effectively energy being put into the drill string is being converted to ROP at the bit. This research effort proposes a new model to calculate the Mechanical Specific Energy for air hammer drilling systems. A thermodynamic model for the air hammer from which the piston impact velocity and kinetic energy is obtained is presented. To be able to estimate the effective energy delivered to the rock by the hammer, the stress wave propagation model is used and factored into the Mechanical Specific Energy model. The Mechanical Specific Energy values obtained from the application of this model provide a qualitative indicator of formation pressure changes and a means for drilling engineers to detect when optimum drilling rate is not being achieved. It can be deduced from the model that the impact energy of the hammer is greatly affected by the pressure drop across the hammer and since the hammer accounts for about sixty percent of the energy required for destroying the rock, the ROP can be varied by varying the pressure drop across the hammer.

This paper aims to derive qualitative model for energy requirements for wood chipping process. There is relationship shown between energy requirements and properties of biomass, which is quite variable material. Relationship between comminution machinery and energy necessary for the process is highlighted. Derivation of the model is focused on chipping but in general it’s possible, to make it available both for different types of biomass (f. ex. agricultural residues) or for different type of comminution machinery (f. ex. hammermills) just by using different material properties adjusted to machinery mechanics. Properties used in derivation are mend to be easy to measure. Model is mend to be used as a base for quantitative model that, thanks to measurements performed on real comminution machinery and using wood with known properties, could give answers for two important questions: Would hypothetical changes in desired size of output material increase total system efficiency, taking into consideration lowest efficiency of combustion process (i. ex. higher amounts of unburned fuel)? How to optimise comminution as an operation in biofuel supply chain, with respect to energy used for the process?

This work embraces two different manufacturing processes: pultrusion androtational moulding. One (pultrusion) is concerned with manufacture with athermosetting composite while the other is concerned with manufacture of anunfilled thermoplastic. The connecting theme is one of energy usage in manufacturewith these processes. While a large number of comprehensive computer models of pultrusion havebeen generated, most are focussed on the prediction of the temperature andconversion distributions within the profile; by contrast, the analysis presented here isdirected towards the prediction of the duty cycle of the mould heaters as a first stepin recognising the significance of the energy consumed in the process. The results ofthe model are compared with experimental measurements of the duty cycle of anindustrial machine. The nature of this particular investigation was predominantlyapplied and in particular directed towards industrial use. For this reason, the modelwas created in MATLAB, a software package which is relatively more accessible tothe reinforced plastics industry than FE packages. The project involved extensivemodelling and experimentation. It is shown that the line speed could be increased significantly by preheatingthe profile before it enters the die. For example, line speed for one particular profilewas increased from 0.4m/min to 0.5 m/min by using a pre-heater set at 80°C. Thiswork also showed that the specific energy consumption of the process was 0.2kWh/kg to 0.3 kWh/kg; under different line speeds and operating conditions. Thiswas achieved by measuring the duty cycle of the heaters on the die. This increase inline speed means a saving of up to 30 % of the specific energy consumption in thepultrusion. The energy theme continues through the work on rotational moulding. It isshown that the specific energy consumption in rotational moulding can be reducedby up to 70% by direct heating of the mould by using electrical resistance heatersinstead of current method of using hot air to heat the mould. The finite elementmodel showed that this alternative heating method is capable of producing asuniform a heat distribution on the surface of the mould as the current heating systemby using cyclic heating.

With the constant diversification of cropping systems and the constant increase in farm size, new trends are observed for agricultural machinery. The increase in size of the machinery and the increasing number of contractors has opened the market to selfpropelled forage harvesters equipped with headers that can harvest row crops in any direction, at any spacing. High-capacity pull-type forage harvesters are also in demand but no commercial model offers non-row sensitive corn headers. The objectives of this research were to collect data and develop models of specific energy requirements for a prototype non-row sensitive corn header. The ability to better understand the processes involved during the harvesting and the modeling of these allowed the formulation of recommendations to reduce the loads on the harvester and propelling tractor. Three sets of experiments were performed. The first experiment consisted of measuring specific energy requirements of a non-row sensitive header, in field conditions, and to compare them with a conventional header. The prototype tested was found to require approximately twice the power than a conventional header of the same width, mostly due to high no-load power. Some properties of corn stalk required for the modeling of the energy needs, that were not available in literature, were measured in the laboratory. Those include the cutting energy with a specific knife configuration used on the prototype header and the crushing resistance of corn stalk. Two knife designs were compared for required cutting energy and found not to be significantly different with values of 0.054 J/mm2 of stalk cross-section area and 0.063 J/mm2. An average crushing resistance of 6.5 N per percent of relative deformation was measured. Three mathematical models were developed and validated with experimental data to predict and understand the specific energy needs of the non-row sensitive header. An analytical model was developed based on the analysis of the processes involved in the harvesting. A regression model was developed based on throughput and header speed and a general model suggested in literature was also validated with the data. All three models were fitted with coefficient of correlation between 0.88 to 0.90.

With the constant diversification of cropping systems and the constant increase in farm size, new trends are observed for agricultural machinery. The increase in size of the machinery and the increasing number of contractors has opened the market to selfpropelled forage harvesters equipped with headers that can harvest row crops in any direction, at any spacing. High-capacity pull-type forage harvesters are also in demand but no commercial model offers non-row sensitive corn headers. The objectives of this research were to collect data and develop models of specific energy requirements for a prototype non-row sensitive corn header. The ability to better understand the processes involved during the harvesting and the modeling of these allowed the formulation of recommendations to reduce the loads on the harvester and propelling tractor. Three sets of experiments were performed. The first experiment consisted of measuring specific energy requirements of a non-row sensitive header, in field conditions, and to compare them with a conventional header. The prototype tested was found to require approximately twice the power than a conventional header of the same width, mostly due to high no-load power. Some properties of corn stalk required for the modeling of the energy needs, that were not available in literature, were measured in the laboratory. Those include the cutting energy with a specific knife configuration used on the prototype header and the crushing resistance of corn stalk. Two knife designs were compared for required cutting energy and found not to be significantly different with values of 0.054 J/mm2 of stalk cross-section area and 0.063 J/mm2. An average crushing resistance of 6.5 N per percent of relative deformation was measured. Three mathematical models were developed and validated with experimental data to predict and understand the specific energy needs of the non-row sensitive header. An analytical model was developed based on the analysis of the processes involved in the harvesting. A regression model was developed based on throughput and header speed and a general model suggested in literature was also validated with the data. All three models were fitted with coefficient of correlation between 0.88 to 0.90.

For an ideal impact energy absorber, the initial peak force should be low and the average crushing force should be high. Also, a long stroke and a stable force history are expected. The thin-walled tube under axial loads is a kind of energy absorber that can produce controlled progressive collapse during a crash. It is a promising collapse mechanism for energy absorption with demonstrated success in industry. But the conventional thin-walled tubes still have high initial peak force and force fluctuations during a crushing process. To help to achieve a better energy absorbing structure, a research work has been carried out in this thesis. The aim of the present research is to achieve an improved understanding of the crushing behaviour of thin-walled tubes under axial loads. In the study, the entire crushing process, including the initial stage of collapse, its localization and the subsequent progressive folding has been carefully investigated by experiment. The relation between the localized plastic deformation and the corresponding crushing force is built by comparing the cross section of series of specimens and their load-displacement curves, which give a deep insight of the collapse mechanism of circular thin-walled tube under axial loads. Then some trigger systems are proposed, which is proved to be a good way to reduce the initial peak force and influence the collapse behaviour. To achieve higher energy absorbing efficiency, the multi-cell thin-walled tube has been investigated. Finally, based on the analysis in this study, a new multi-cell profile which is composed of coaxial tubes with different lengths and dented grooves is proposed. The new design is proved to be a good energy absorber with low initial peak force and very high energy absorption efficiency.

Mjölkindustrin tillhör en av världens största industrier, och är den snabbaste växande sektorn inom jordbruksnäring. Varje år produceras cirka 800 miljoner ton mjölk världen över, varav svenskar årligen konsumerar cirka 150 kg mejeriprodukter per person. Framställningen av mejeriprodukter innefattar ett flertal processer som kräver stora mängder energi, främst i form av ånga till upphettning av mjölk och vatten samt elektricitet till kylning. Anledningen till att mjölken genomgår diverse behandlingar är framförallt för att döda skadliga bakterier och sporer men också ur kvalitetssynpunkt. För att möta de miljömässiga utmaningar vi står inför krävs att nya hållbara lösningar utvecklas och implementeras. Enligt miljöbalken ska verksamheter använda förnybara energikällor i den utsträckning det är möjligt, återvinning av värme skall nyttiggöras och det ska hushållas med såväl energi som andra resurser. Wermlands Mejeri, beläget i Värmlands Nysäter, startade sin verksamhet i september 2015. Mejeriet framställer dagligen 18 400 liter lättmjölk, mellanmjölk, standardmjölk och grädde, med målet att till augusti 2016 dubbla produktionen med samma sortiment. Syftet med del I av denna studie är att utföra en energikartläggning för att bestämma mejeriets totala energibehov samt hur behovet är fördelat på diverse processer. Energiinventeringens syfte utöver att skapa insikt i hur energianvändningen är fördelad är att ligga som grund för jämförelser med liknande anläggningar. På så vis kan en uppfattning om förbättringspotential erhållas. Vid jämförelser mellan olika anläggningar har nyckelvärdet specifik energikonsumtion, SEC, använts.  SEC definieras som använd energi dividerat med den totala produktionsvolymen och kan appliceras på en delprocess eller en hel produktionsanläggning. Analyser av energianvändning och effektiviseringspotential har utförts genom termodynamiska beräkningar, fysiska mätningar, simuleringar och ingenjörsmässiga uppskattningar. Enligt den kartläggning som gjorts förbrukar Wermlands mejerier idag 1141 MWh per år, vilket motsvarar ett SEC-värde på 0,19 kWh/liter mjölkprodukt. Vid en fördubbling av produktionen skulle energianvändningen öka till 1570 MWh per år och SEC-värdet reduceras till 0,13 kWh/l varav värmebehovet representerar 0,09 kWh/l. Två svenska referensanläggningar som använts vid jämförelser har ett totalt SEC-värde på 0,11 respektive 0,12 kWh/liter mjölkprodukt där värmebehovets SEC-värde är 0,05 respektive 0,06 kWh/l. Syftet med del två av studien är således att belysa förbättringspotential genom reducerat värmebehov och ånganvändande. Målet är att presentera åtgärder som sänker och tillgodoser energibehovet utan förbränning av fossila bränslen. Resultatet visar att bränslebehovet kan reduceras från 105 till 782 MWh/år med olika åtgärder. Bränslekostnaden utan åtgärder antas vid dubblad produktion uppgå till drygt 750 000 SEK per år. Vid utbyte till pelletspanna och med samtliga åtgärder genomförda är bränslekostnaden 250 000 SEK/år och koldioxidutsläppen reducerades med över 1000 ton/år. Totala SEC-värdet på värmesidan reduceras då från 0,09 kWh/l till 0,06 kWh/l vilket är jämförbart med de svenska referensanläggningarna. / The dairy industry is one of the world’s largest industries, and the most rapidly expanding sector of agriculture. Every year more than 800 million tons of milk is produced globally, of which the Swedish population annually consumes more than 150 kg per capita. Refinement of milk includes several processes that require large amounts of energy, mainly in the form of steam for heating of milk and electricity for cooling. The main reasons the milk has to go through these heating and cooling process is to reduce the bacterial count, rendering the product safe to drink and of a consistent quality. To meet the environmental challenges that lie ahead, it is important that sustainable solutions for the dairy industry are developed and implemented. According to the environmental code, all industries shall use renewable energy sources to the highest possible degree, recycling of heat shall be used and housekeeping of energy and other resources is of uttermost importance. Wermlands Mejeri, a dairy plant in Värmlands Nysäter, started their operations in September 2015. Today they produce about 18 400 liters of dairy product, with a product portfolio consisting of three different types of milk (0.5, 1.8, and 3 percent fat) and cream. Their goal is to expand the operation, so that the production volume will be doubled by august 2016. The commencing chapter of this report is based on a survey with the goal of defining the total energy consumption at the plant, and also to investigate how the need of energy is divided between the different processes. This survey is purposed to be compared to the energy consumption at other similar dairy plants, in order to point out if (and where) there is any potential to increase the energy efficiency. When comparing different facilities, the key indicator Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) is used. SEC is defined as the total used energy divided by the amount of product, and can be applied on specific processes as well as an entire operation. According to the analysis, Wermlands mejerier consumes 1141 MWh yearly, which corresponds to a SEC index of 0.19kWh/liter milk product. A doubling of the milk production would lead to an increase in energy use to 1570 MWh/year, and a reduction in SEC to 0.13 kWh/l of which the heating system stands for 0.09 kWh/l. The two Swedish reference factories which were used as comparison have an SEC index of 0.11 and 0.12 kWh/l milk product, of which the heating system stands for 0.05 and 0.06 kWh/l, respectively. The aim of the second part of the study is to highlight the potential for improvement by reducing the heating demand and steam usage. The goal is to suggest practice changes that reduce and meet the need for energy without burning fossil fuels. The study shows that the fuel usage can be reduced from 1050 to 782 kWh/year by different interventions. Without these interventions, the fuel cost is expected to reach over 750,000 SEK/year when doubling the production. If all interventions, including changing to pellet boiler, are implemented, the fuel cost will be 150,000 SEK/year and the carbon dioxide emissions reduced by over 1,000 tons yearly. The total SEC index of the heating system will then be reduced from 0.09 to 0.06 kWh/l, which is comparable to the Swedish reference factories.

ABSTRACT This work applies the concepts of the attainable region for process synthesis in comminution. The attainable region analysis has been successfully applied for process synthesis of reactor networks. The Attainable Region is defined as the set of all possible output states for a constrained or unconstrained system of fundamental processes (Horn, 1964). A basic procedure for constructing the attainable region for the fundamental processes of reaction and mixing has been postulated in reaction engineering (Glasser et al., 1987). This procedure has been followed in this work to construct the candidate attainable region for size reduction processes as found in a size reduction environment. A population balance model has been used to characterise the evolution of particle size distributions from a comminution event. Herbst and Fuerstenau (1973) postulated the dependency of grinding on the specific energy. A specific energy dependent population balance model was used for the theoretical simulations and for the fitting of experimental data. A new method of presenting particle size distributions as points in the Euclidian space was postulated in place of the traditional cumulative distribution. This allows successive product particle size distributions to be connected forming a trajectory over which the objective function can be evaluated. The curve connects products from successive batch grinding stages forming a pseudo-continuous process. Breakage, mixing and classification were identified as the fundamental processes of interest for comminution. Agglomeration was not considered in any of the examples. Mathematical models were used to describe each fundamental process, i.e. breakage, mixing and classification, and an The application of the attainable region analysis in comminution Abstract algorithm developed that could calculate the evolution of product particle size distributions. A convex candidate attainable region was found from which process synthesis and optimisation solutions could be drawn in two dimensional Euclidian space. As required from Attainable Region Theory, the interior of the bounded region is filled by trajectories of higher energy requirements or mixing between two boundary optimal points. Experimental validation of the proposed application of the attainable region analysis results in comminution was performed. Mono-sized feed particles were broken in a laboratory ball mill and the products were successfully fitted using a population balance model. It was shown that the breakage process trajectories were convex and they follow first order grinding kinetics at long grind times. The candidate attainable region was determined for an objective function to maximise the mass fraction in the median size class 2. It was proved that the same specific energy input produces identical products. The kinematic and loading conditions are supposed to be chosen as a subsequent event after the required specific energy is identified. Finally the fundamental process of classification was added to the system of breakage and mixing. The attainable regions analysis affords the opportunity to quantify exactly the reduction in energy consumption due to classification in a comminution circuit, thus giving optimal targets. Classification showed the potential to extend the candidate attainable region for a fixed specific energy input. The boundary of the attainable region is interpreted as pieces of equipment and optimum process conditions. This solves both the original process synthesis and successive optimisation problems.

<p>The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical model that could be used by the designers of a rotary feeding and cutting system (RFCS) to identify the power demand of the RFCS with limited or no required field or laboratory data. Two separate RFCS were investigated, incorporated with either a low-speed cutting process (LSCP) or a high-speed cutting process (HSCP). The results from the laboratory and field trials were used to create and validate the analytical model.</p> <p>Laboratory tests were completed with the LSCP RFCS and these concluded that counter-knife sharpness, serrations and bevel angle all had significant effects on the specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS when processing cereal straw and alfalfa. The specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS, while processing cereal straw, increased by 0.35 kWâh/tonne (or 96%) when the sharpness of the counter-knives decreased from 0.13 to 0.63 mm (where the sharpness was recorded by the leading-edge-width of the counter-knives). With the same decrease in sharpness, the specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS while processing alfalfa increased by 0.04 kWâh/tonne (or 32%). The specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS while processing cereal straw with sharp counter-knives (counter-knives with a leading edge width of 0.13 mm) increased by 0.11 kWâh/tonne (or 51%) when serrated counter-knives were used instead of un-serrated counter-knives. However, counter-knife serrations did not have a significant effect on the specific energy demand of the LSCP RFCS when sharp counter-knives were used to process alfalfa. The increase in bevel angle from 15 to 90&#x00B0; caused the specific energy required to process cereal straw and alfalfa to approximately triple. The moisture content of alfalfa also had a significant effect on the specific energy required to process alfalfa with the LSCP RFCS. The specific energy demand of the LSCP RFCS was at a maximum when alfalfa at a moisture content of 53% on a wet basis (w.b.) was processed and decreased slightly (approximately 0.04 kWâh/tonne or 10%) when dryer and wetter alfalfa was processed.</p> <p>Field tests were completed with the HSCP RFCS and it was concluded that in general, there was a direct relationship between the specific energy required by the HSCP RFCS and the moisture content of the straw, counter-knife engagement and throughput. Further, it was also concluded that the specific energy requirements of the HSCP RFCS were more sensitive to counter-knife engagement when higher moisture content straw was processed. Depending on the type of chopper used, the specific energy required by the HSCP RFCS increased anywhere from 0.15 to 0.77 kWâh/tonne (or 22 to 61%) when the counter-knife engagement was increased from 0 to 100% (or fully removed to fully engaged). Again, depending on the type of chopper used, when the moisture content of the straw processed by the chopper increased from approximately 7 to 25% w.b. the specific energy required by the chopper increased by 0.14 to 0.96 kWâh/tonne (or 28 to 84%). The effect of throughput on the specific energy demand of the HSCP RFCS was dependent on the type of chopper used. For one of the choppers, an increase in throughput from 10.5 to 13.5 tonne/h caused the specific energy required by the HSCP RFCS to increase by 0.24 kWâh/tonne (or 35%); however for a different chopper, an increase in throughput from 12 to 13 tonne/h caused the specific energy demand of the HSCP RFCS to decrease by 0.16 kWâh/tonne (or 19%).</p> <p>The analytical model was validated using a subset of the data that were collected while employing each cutting device under field conditions and the data collected with the use of a custom-designed material properties test stand. The output of the analytical model fell within the 95% confidence interval of the measured power demand for each of the rotary feeding and cutting systems, and the analytical model was therefore deemed sufficiently accurate.</p> <p>Based on the analytical model, the total power demand of both the LSCP and HSCP rotary feeding and cutting systems was largely attributed to the power required to transport plant material. Further, the power required to transport the plant material along the sides of the counter-knives was much greater than the power required to transport the plant material along the rotor bed and along the leading edge of the tines. Because of the excessive power required to transport plant material along the sides of the counter-knives, three techniques were identified as potential strategies to decrease the power demand of the RFCS. The first technique involved removing half of the tines from the RFCS, and modifying the remaining tines to decrease the amount of plant material that is entrapped between sides of the counter-knives and the tines. The second technique involved coating the inside surface of the tines with a baked Teflon, to decrease the coefficient of friction between the plant material and the RFCS. The third technique involved reshaping the counter-knives, to decrease the surface area over which plant material was transported along the side of the counter-knives. According to the analytical model, employing any of the three techniques would result in the total power demand of the RFCS to decrease by 15 to 26%. </p> <p>For the HSCP RFCS, a stochastic model was developed to identify which of the four choppers tested during field trials would have the best performance when subjected to the same operating conditions. The chopper with the best performance was the WR chopper as its use resulted in the minimum geometric mean length of material exiting the combine harvester while also consuming the least amount of specific energy.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical model that could be used by the designers of a rotary feeding and cutting system (RFCS) to identify the power demand of the RFCS with limited or no required field or laboratory data. Two separate RFCS were investigated, incorporated with either a low-speed cutting process (LSCP) or a high-speed cutting process (HSCP). The results from the laboratory and field trials were used to create and validate the analytical model.</p> <p>Laboratory tests were completed with the LSCP RFCS and these concluded that counter-knife sharpness, serrations and bevel angle all had significant effects on the specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS when processing cereal straw and alfalfa. The specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS, while processing cereal straw, increased by 0.35 kWâh/tonne (or 96%) when the sharpness of the counter-knives decreased from 0.13 to 0.63 mm (where the sharpness was recorded by the leading-edge-width of the counter-knives). With the same decrease in sharpness, the specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS while processing alfalfa increased by 0.04 kWâh/tonne (or 32%). The specific energy required by the LSCP RFCS while processing cereal straw with sharp counter-knives (counter-knives with a leading edge width of 0.13 mm) increased by 0.11 kWâh/tonne (or 51%) when serrated counter-knives were used instead of un-serrated counter-knives. However, counter-knife serrations did not have a significant effect on the specific energy demand of the LSCP RFCS when sharp counter-knives were used to process alfalfa. The increase in bevel angle from 15 to 90&#x00B0; caused the specific energy required to process cereal straw and alfalfa to approximately triple. The moisture content of alfalfa also had a significant effect on the specific energy required to process alfalfa with the LSCP RFCS. The specific energy demand of the LSCP RFCS was at a maximum when alfalfa at a moisture content of 53% on a wet basis (w.b.) was processed and decreased slightly (approximately 0.04 kWâh/tonne or 10%) when dryer and wetter alfalfa was processed.</p> <p>Field tests were completed with the HSCP RFCS and it was concluded that in general, there was a direct relationship between the specific energy required by the HSCP RFCS and the moisture content of the straw, counter-knife engagement and throughput. Further, it was also concluded that the specific energy requirements of the HSCP RFCS were more sensitive to counter-knife engagement when higher moisture content straw was processed. Depending on the type of chopper used, the specific energy required by the HSCP RFCS increased anywhere from 0.15 to 0.77 kWâh/tonne (or 22 to 61%) when the counter-knife engagement was increased from 0 to 100% (or fully removed to fully engaged). Again, depending on the type of chopper used, when the moisture content of the straw processed by the chopper increased from approximately 7 to 25% w.b. the specific energy required by the chopper increased by 0.14 to 0.96 kWâh/tonne (or 28 to 84%). The effect of throughput on the specific energy demand of the HSCP RFCS was dependent on the type of chopper used. For one of the choppers, an increase in throughput from 10.5 to 13.5 tonne/h caused the specific energy required by the HSCP RFCS to increase by 0.24 kWâh/tonne (or 35%); however for a different chopper, an increase in throughput from 12 to 13 tonne/h caused the specific energy demand of the HSCP RFCS to decrease by 0.16 kWâh/tonne (or 19%).</p> <p>The analytical model was validated using a subset of the data that were collected while employing each cutting device under field conditions and the data collected with the use of a custom-designed material properties test stand. The output of the analytical model fell within the 95% confidence interval of the measured power demand for each of the rotary feeding and cutting systems, and the analytical model was therefore deemed sufficiently accurate.</p> <p>Based on the analytical model, the total power demand of both the LSCP and HSCP rotary feeding and cutting systems was largely attributed to the power required to transport plant material. Further, the power required to transport the plant material along the sides of the counter-knives was much greater than the power required to transport the plant material along the rotor bed and along the leading edge of the tines. Because of the excessive power required to transport plant material along the sides of the counter-knives, three techniques were identified as potential strategies to decrease the power demand of the RFCS. The first technique involved removing half of the tines from the RFCS, and modifying the remaining tines to decrease the amount of plant material that is entrapped between sides of the counter-knives and the tines. The second technique involved coating the inside surface of the tines with a baked Teflon, to decrease the coefficient of friction between the plant material and the RFCS. The third technique involved reshaping the counter-knives, to decrease the surface area over which plant material was transported along the side of the counter-knives. According to the analytical model, employing any of the three techniques would result in the total power demand of the RFCS to decrease by 15 to 26%. </p> <p>For the HSCP RFCS, a stochastic model was developed to identify which of the four choppers tested during field trials would have the best performance when subjected to the same operating conditions. The chopper with the best performance was the WR chopper as its use resulted in the minimum geometric mean length of material exiting the combine harvester while also consuming the least amount of specific energy.</p>