Elsevier

Biomass and Bioenergy

Volume 91, August 2016, Pages 217-226
Biomass and Bioenergy

Research paper
Biomass bale stack and field outlet locations assessment for efficient infield logistics

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2016.05.019Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Forming bales into subfield stacks decouples aggregation and transportation.

  • Increased subfield stacks and transported bales/trip make efficient logistics.

  • Bale stack and field outlet ranking: middle, mid-edge length, mid-edge width, and corner.

  • Except swath and windrow variation, field parameters significantly affected the logistics.

  • Stacks at subfield middle and outlet at a corner with ≥6 bales/trip is a practical solution.

Abstract

Harvested hay or biomass are traditionally baled for better handling and they are transported to the outlet for final utilization. For better management of bale logistics, producers often aggregate bales into stacks so that bale-hauling equipment can haul multiple bales for improved efficiency. Objectives of this research include simulation of bale collection logistics after forming subfield stacks, evaluation of location effects of bale stack and field outlet, the number of stacks, transported bales/trip, and other field parameters on logistics distances (aggregation, transportation, and total). The software ‘R’ performed the simulation, statistical analysis, and data visualization. Formation of bale stacks decoupled aggregation and transportation components. Stacks formation thus allows for aggregation and transportation to be performed at different times. Increasing the number of subfield stacks and the number of transported bales/trip significantly reduced the total logistics distances. The order for the best bale stack and outlet locations was: middle, near middle, mid-edge along the length, mid-edge along the width, and finally, corners. Except for swath and windrow variation, the studied field variables had a highly significant influence on the logistics distances. Increased bales/trip (≥6) reduced the variations of outlet locations. Locating the field outlet at or near the center of the field along with an appropriate number of square subfields with stacks at the middle, and increased bales/trip will be the most efficient infield logistics strategy.

Introduction

Global demand for high-quality hay and biomass is on the rise to cater to the cattle and dairy industries along with biomass applications, which calls for improved efficiency. About 95% of this increased global demand for U.S. hay has been supplied by the western states. Coupled with local demands, the hay prices were doubled in the last 10 years with reference to 2015 [1]. Although there was a slight decline in the past few years, U.S. hay annual production in 2014 (including alfalfa) was 126.8 Tg on a planted area of 231 000 km2 [2]. With the thrust on the biomass-based, clean, renewable fuel and products, additional demand appears for biomass in the form of hay, dedicated energy crops, and agricultural and forest residues. This increasing demand coupled with higher prices represents a huge economic value for these crops. Thus, the efficiency of every component of field operations, including infield bale aggregation and transportation logistics, becomes essential for managing farm enterprises.

Baling of harvested material in the field is a traditionally followed practice for efficient handling of loose hay and biomass. The bales formed in the field need to be transported to the outlet for utilization or dispatch. Biomass supply analysis, in general, has assumed that bales are directly transported to the final destination, or aggregated at a field edge before transport off-site, or collected with self-loading wagons in the field for immediate transport off-site [3]. However, to better manage the bale collection, producers often aggregate bales within a field into stacks before transporting to an outlet location for final use (Fig. 1). The underlying motivation for forming subfield stacks is to aggregate bales into groups, sized for bale-hauling equipment, that can haul multiple bales in one step to a field outlet, making the logistics efficient.

The cropping sequence necessitates the timely infield bale logistics; therefore, bale aggregation and transportation can be viewed as an operation of clearing the field for next crop. For example, with wheat straw or corn stover, it may be beneficial if bales are moved immediately off of the field and not be left in subfield stacks (especially for stover) for long. With corn stover and similar crops, the harvest window is short and access to the bales is vital before field conditions become undrivable. Also, wheat and corn producers may want the bale logistics completed as soon as possible in order to plant cover crops, apply fall nitrogen fertilizers, and perform other management practices. Therefore, any efficiency in the infield bale logistics is always beneficial.

Some of the biomass logistics related research include: development of simulation of switchgrass collection, storage, transport and preprocessing in a feedstock supply chain using an integrated biomass supply and logistics (IBSAL) model and its implementation [4], [5]; network of regional lignocellulosic preprocessing centers [6]; corn stover supply logistics system [7]; large capacity transport of bales to minimize hauling cost of herbaceous biomass [8]; economics of corn stover supply for fuel ethanol conversion [9]; eight different corn stover logistics systems modeled to identify the lowest cost feedstock system [10]; logistics infrastructure for biomass delivery to biorefinery with the concept of satellite storage location [11]; and advanced operations research (OR) applications for vehicle routing problem for agricultural equipment logistics being researched to provide optimized least-cost routes [12], [13], [14].

Studies specifically on hay/biomass bales logistics include: development of a MATLAB training tool on the timing, distance and pattern of moving, handling and storing round bales with a self-loading wagon [15]; hybrid genetic algorithm solution for the efficient bale collection routes with a wagon handling multiple (15 and 35) bales [16], which serves as an example of advance OR application in this field; and simulation of the bales layout mimicking the baler operation, evaluation of several infield biomass bales aggregation strategies, and the effect of various field parameters on bales logistics [17]. Thus, the literature search indicated that studies related to bale stack formation and the role of bale stacks on infield logistics were lacking.

Modern agricultural practices always look for performing field operations in an effective manner. Developing efficient aggregation scenarios with subfield stacks for existing hay crops and future bioenergy crops is expected to result in savings in terms of labor, time, fuel costs, and other resources.

The specific objectives of this research effort were to: (1) develop a simulation of a biomass baler for layout of bales on the field; (2) delineate subfields and form bale stacks in desired layouts; (3) perform bale logistics operations involving aggregation of bales to stacks and bales transportation to the field outlet for various bale stack and field outlet locations; and (4) determine the effects of field size, field shape, harvester swath, biomass yield, bale mass, biomass windrow variation as well as number of subfield stacks and number of bales transported per trip on the collection logistics distances.

Section snippets

Overall simulation strategy for bales infield logistics

The overall strategy of the simulation can be summarized as four operations: (1) form the bales based on the bale pickup length along windrow, (2) divide the field into subfields for bale aggregation, (3) aggregate the bales into subfield stacks, and (4) transport bales from the subfield stacks to the field outlet. The simulation also includes studying the effect of the number of subfield stacks, their distribution layout with respect to the outlet, location of the outlet with respect to the

Effects of subfield stack locations along specified paths on aggregation distances

Bale aggregation to a specified location in the subfield represents the formation of subfield stacks. Different locations of stacks in the subfield can be simulated along simple paths and the resulting effect on bale aggregation distances can be studied to find the optimum aggregation location. To illustrate the subfield stack location effect (also applicable to field outlet) on bale aggregation distances, stacks were moved along selected linear paths in a rectangular field (L/W = 2) of 64.75 ha,

Conclusions

Formation of subfield stacks allows for decoupling of aggregation and transportation components, leading to more efficient infield logistics operation because these operations can be performed at different times. When bale aggregation is performed directly without subfield stacks, the logistics advantages will be lost. An increased number of subfield stacks and number of transported bales/trip reduced the total logistics distance and should be taken advantage of. Logistically square shaped

Disclaimer

NDSU, INL, UNL, and USDA/ARS are equal opportunity providers and employers.

Acknowledgements

This work supported in part by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Project: ND01472, Accession number: 229896. Typing of parts of the manuscript and discussion support extended by I. Srividhya is also appreciated.

References (18)

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