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kuch

Posted 12/24/2009 10:43 (#983300)
Subject: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

Just curious. They all claim there benefits, but has anyone done any third party testing?

Pfarms

Posted 12/24/2009 10:52 (#983317 - in reply to #983300)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

EC MN - Hour North of 'The Cities'

An in-bin drying system will be the most efficient, but it isn't the quickest.

If you're looking at continuous flow, I would think a screenless/mixed flow (vertec. neco, grain handler, etc.) is the most efficient, but tower dryers can get up there in efficiency as well.

Heat reclamation would also help efficiency, and SuperB seems to be king at this practice.

I think somewhere in Canada (western provinces) some testing was done on a few types of dryers for efficiency.

Here's some links I have used...

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/environment/efp/infosheet_14.ht... (scroll down to Crop Drying)

http://www.uwex.edu/CES/ag/issues/hurricanekatrina/documents/Grain%...

Edited by Pfarms 12/24/2009 10:56

Sledge

Posted 12/24/2009 11:51 (#983427 - in reply to #983317)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

Extreme SW Minnesota Iowa border

A few years ago I was tasked with finding an efficiant dryer for farm use. All the research I did back then, took me to a Delux type dryer. They are really a poor mans tower dryer. Very efficiant, and can be filled with regular auger. http://www.deluxmfg.com/. I could give you total numbers for drying, but, I am not sure they would totally realistic, because this year I only dried on certain days. ( low RH, warm days). But, the way its looking now, my Delux paid for itself again this year. Now, the Down side to a Delux. A REAL pain in the A$$ to clean, and they will slow way down with more RH in the air. And they are NOT the one you want to run if its below about 10 degrees. Some serious icing occurs.

Pat H

Posted 12/24/2009 15:54 (#983853 - in reply to #983427)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

cropsey, il 61731

I have MC375 that runs one 10hp fan and burner and splits the lower 1/3rd of the fan to cool (plenum is split also). It's about 16' tall and narrow and I'm thinking it's not a bad design for efficiency - heat rising preheats corn higher in the dryer. It would be nice to capture some of the escaping heat by venting the cooling/lower part of the dryer back to the fan intake. However, I like the delux idea even better - put the fan inside and suck air through the corn that's cooling to preheat the air on the dryer side. I'd give up the possibility of running all heat though - I'd just have to add another burner for the bottom 3rd of the dryer to get all heat and do the steeping thing. Hard to decide which is better - recirculating to recapture heat or all heat and steeping to get 2 more points of moisture out with just a fan.

Thanks, Pat

(dryer.jpg)

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lancef53

Posted 12/24/2009 11:52 (#983432 - in reply to #983300)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

Portland, ND

I think the Delux dryers are pretty good also, and work well in cold weather compared to some.

I have a friend who installed a grain handler this year to replace a MC 975 that was about 5 years old. It was a cold dryer season around here, and immature corn that would not take much heat without turning brown. He said it was using about 20 gallons per hour less than the MC, with about the same flow. He was using the MC on full heat, while the Grain handler dumps cool. The GH is supposed to be about 1400 bph, so it is way larger than the 975.

This year was a crappy test for dryers around here, cold air temps to work in and low plenum temps to keep the corn from carmelizing (sp?)

Thud

Posted 12/24/2009 12:47 (#983535 - in reply to #983432)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

Near-north Ontario, French River

Fine line between efficiency and throughput. I think if you want true efficiency then an in-bin ( shivvers style) continous flow is the way to go, but you tend to give up some throughput capacity with a set up like this . Yes if you spend enough money you can get tower dryer capacity out of a shivvers system but dollar for dollar a shivvers will have lower capacity( bu/hr) . Now if you want plain out right bu/hr capacity then the tower dryers are the way to go, but you give up a bit in electricity/gas efficiency. ( higher operating cost/bu)

kuch

Posted 12/24/2009 13:54 (#983669 - in reply to #983535)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

What makes the tower dryers less eficient? They reclaim heat the same as say a Delux does don't they. All good points so far thanks for the input. I know this was not the a very good year to test efficiency we also has a lot of real wet corn, low test weight, cold weather, and tons of fines in the corn.

ratlakefarms

Posted 12/24/2009 14:09 (#983696 - in reply to #983669)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

La Glace Alberta Canada

I think it would of been the best year to test your dryers. Should be 1 or 2 that really stand out.

badger@uw

Posted 12/24/2009 16:13 (#983879 - in reply to #983300)
Subject: I would really like more third party eval on these

East Troy, WI

..considering it is one of the highest fuel inputs on a grain farm. A couple of things to consider...

Any dryer having a cooling section, including towers and Delux, will have less ability to steep grain at full temp, and effeciency compromise. Tower dryer are not the answer in a continuous flow, dry-aeration set up, in my opinion ( have no hard numbers to bolster this). Majors gains can be made by going dry-aeration with heat recovery.

Dryers that can either mix grain (or invert the column) will be more efficient thatn those that cannot.

Top dryer are efficient because of heat recovery from the steeping/cooling grain. If you can find a creative solution, such as proper heat recovery at the dryer, plus heat exchangers for the cooling bin, you will meet and likely exceed the efficiency of top-dryers.

Some of the most efficient number i have seen posted, in terms of BTU per bushel-point, is from Shivver Manufacturing

http://www.shivvers.com/

They have done reserach experimenting with new methods, including advanced heat exchange

http://www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/203116.html

Edited by badger@uw 12/24/2009 16:29

lancef53

Posted 12/24/2009 16:39 (#983920 - in reply to #983300)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

Portland, ND

I like the concept of the dryeration, and use it with my old dryer, but it has lots of drawbacks in cold weather:

-You have to move the grain an extra time to avoid spoilage from the corn frozen to the wall of the cooling bins.

-You need two cooling bins if you want to dry 24 hrs

-The grain that freezes to the sidewall is often spoiled by the time cleanup is possible-spring?

-Bees wings, red dog, or whatever you want to call it plugging up the leg that you use to dump hot.

-You need to have multiple legs of decent capacity, or shut down while you move product.

-If the cooling bins become layered up with frozen corn, you may not be able to use them for storage after the drying is done for fear of spoilage.

All of these items detract from the cost savings of drying to 17 and steeping from that level, but maybe they don't outweigh the savings.

Jacob Bolson

Posted 12/24/2009 17:14 (#983982 - in reply to #983300)
Subject: Re: Which grain dryers are most efficient? Any studies done?

Iowa

I don't know who in the University of Nebraska extension system works with grain quality, but, here in Iowa we have Charlie Hurburgh:
http://www.abe.iastate.edu/who-we-are/directory/charles-hurburgh.ht...
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/grainlab/
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/grain/

I'd give Charlie a call and see if he can point you to any resources.

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