在Controlling Losses During Winter Storage of PotatoesDuring storage, bulk potatoes are not in a static state—they continue to respire. Each potato continuously consumes oxygen and releases heat and carbon dioxide. Under well-ventilated conditions, this respiratory heat can be promptly dissipated, allowing the potatoes to remain in a stable dormant state. However, onceVentilation System for a Constant-Temperature Potato Storage FacilityWhen blind spots appear, a disaster quietly begins.
I. The “bottom-up decay” chain reaction that is highly prone to occur in 10,000-metric-ton bulk storage facilities
Under the heavy pressure of a pile several meters high, the bulk density of the potatoes at the bottom is much higher than that of the upper layers, and the air porosity is extremely low. When the oxygen supply at the bottom is insufficient, the aerobic respiration of the potatoes is forced to switch toAnaerobic respiration (fermentation), producing ethanol while causing a surge in heat release of approximately 3–5 times. This lethal process follows the following hidden chain of events:
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1
Hotspot Formation: Local Temperature Rise of 2–4°C
Temperature abnormalities first appear in the lower-level ventilation blind spots, where heat cannot escape, creating a “heat island.” At this stage, there are no visible abnormalities on the surface, but internal tissue damage has already begun.
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2
Rotting Fungus Activation: Germination of Pathogenic Spores
Associated pathogens, such as soft-rot-causing E. oehneri, are rapidly activated at temperatures above 12°C, and an environment with high humidity and high concentrations of carbon dioxide further accelerates their proliferation.
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3
A Snowballing Spread: The Loss Rate Instantly Surpassed the Warning Threshold
The liquid released by rotting potato chunks seeps downward due to gravity, rapidly infecting any healthy potato chunks it comes into contact with. In a 10,000-metric-ton storage facility, a single undetected instance of rot at the bottom of the pile can result in losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of yuan.
By the time rot is visible to the naked eye, it has often already spread extensively. While the outer surface of the tubers may appear intact, “cavities” have already formed inside. Traditional manual inspections, conducted every 2–3 days, cannot keep up with the speed at which the pathogen spreads.
II. Hardware Limitations That Prevent Traditional Axial-Flow Fans from Overcoming Resistance at the Bottom
When faced with the risk of heat buildup at the bottom of a facility, the initial instinctive response for many warehouses is to “increase fan power.” However, this intuitive solution has a fundamental flaw from a fluid dynamics perspective—The challenge of penetrating a high-density random pile is not the airflow volume, but the air pressure.
| Core Dimensions | Traditional Axial-Flow Fans | High-Pressure Variable-Frequency Fan Units |
|---|---|---|
| Operating static pressure | 50–150 Pa (low pressure)Cannot penetrate | 500–2000 Pa (high pressure)Powerful Penetration |
| Ground-level airflow coverage | <40%（大量通风死角） | ≥94% (designed to work with underground air ducts for zero dead zones) |
| Energy Consumption Control Logic | Fixed speed, extremely high power consumption, and cannot be adjusted | Variable-frequency speed control, on-demand airflow, energy-saving 40% |
Increasing the power of traditional axial-flow fans will only cause a large volume of airflow to “skim” the surface of the potato pile; the proportion of airflow actually reaching the lower layers remains unchanged. More seriously, excessive ventilation of the surface layer accelerates moisture loss in the top layer of potatoes, which in turn leads to significant “weight loss.”
III. CFD Fluid Simulation and Optimization of Underground Air Duct Design
Junsheng Agriculture’s core technological breakthrough during the warehouse infrastructure phase lies in integrating CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Numerical Simulation Ventilation system design was incorporated. Before the concrete underground air ducts were poured, hundreds of virtual airflow resistance simulations had already been completed on a computer.
Optimization of Underground Duct DesignThe fluid dynamics behind this are very clear: airflow is forced upward through the ventilation holes at the very bottom, utilizing the physical principle of natural convection—where hot air rises—to achieve highly efficient convection characterized by “high pressure forcing air in at the bottom and allowing it to flow out naturally at the top.”
IV. Perfect Synergy Between the Carbon Dioxide Flushing System for Rot Prevention and the Bud Inhibition System
High-pressure variable-frequency ventilation is merely the physical framework; what truly ensures “zero risk of rot at the base” is integrating it withSmart Carbon Dioxide Monitoring and Venting及Micro-mist Spraying of Environmentally Friendly Bud InhibitorsA deeply integrated, proactive warehouse security system.
When the multi-point sensors throughout the facility detect that the CO₂ concentration in a certain area exceeds 0.5% (5,000 ppm) rot-resistant safety line At that time, the system will automatically trigger a forced-venting procedure, and the high-pressure fan will operate at full speed until the concentration drops to a safe level. At the same time, during the ten-month overwintering storage period, the system utilizes a uniform upward airflow from the bottom to atomize and disperse eco-friendly bud-inhibiting agents at the micron level, ensuring both application precision and compliance with residue limits, and enabling end-to-end digital traceability management.
A comparison of data from temperature-controlled warehouses of the same size before and after the Junsheng Infrastructure renovation shows that the rot rate on the bottom layer plummeted from 3.2% to 0.4%; the annual comprehensive overwintering loss rate for bulk raw potatoes was reduced from 8.7% to below 4.1%. Based on a storage capacity of 10,000 metric tons, this “loss prevention” measure alone recovers more than 2 million yuan in direct economic value annually.
