A Comprehensive Study on Heat Balance Analyses in Grain Warehouses During the Winter Season: The Case of Konya Province

Abstract

The storage of agricultural products such as grains, which are of strategic importance for food security and agricultural sustainability, has become an increasingly critical issue worldwide. In this context, preserving the quality of stored products with minimal loss is only possible by precisely controlling the environmental conditions within the warehouse. This study was conducted to reveal how vary depending the positive or negative flow conditions between heat losses caused by structural elements and ventilation, as well as the heat generated by the metabolic activities of the products, on the building materials used and the type of products in storage structures with different constructions during the winter season. As a result of material-based analyses, it has been determined that the thermal conductivity value of 2.62 kcal/m²h°C measured in steel warehouses is statistically significantly higher than the value of 1.69 kcal/m²h°C in reinforced concrete warehouses. Despite the higher minimum ventilation rate requirements in concrete silos (barley: 19, wheat: 24, corn: 74 m³·h⁻¹·ton⁻¹), steel silos (barley: 18, wheat: 23, corn: 73 m³·h⁻¹·ton⁻¹) exhibited higher ventilation efficiency for all products (34%, 22%, 8%). In contrast, the efficiency values in concrete silos (17%, 11%, 4%) remained relatively low. The heat balance analyses conducted during the winter months in different storage materials (concrete/steel) have clearly revealed product-based ventilation differences. These findings clearly demonstrate that when designing grain storage systems, not only structural factors but also parameters such as storage capacity, product type, the presence of ventilation systems, and the thermal conductivity levels of structural elements must be considered. It has been concluded that storing grains with a high respiration rate (such as corn) in steel warehouses, which provide higher ventilation performance, would be more suitable. The results of this study prove that the selection of materials used in storage structures plays a critical role in the energy efficiency of storage systems.