AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

DRYING METHODS

DELSON, ALVEN G.
Instructor I – DABE
CENCOM, USM
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Grain drying system – is a combination of components for
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the purpose of drying the grains to a safe or required
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moisture content.
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Classifications:
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1) Solar drying systems
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2) Batch drying systems
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3) Continuous flow drying systems
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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R Solar Drying System
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I Solar drying – usually termed as “sun drying”
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G - most widely used method of grain drying in the
developing countries
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E - in this system, moist grains are usually spread
T on a flat surface commonly of beaten earth directly in the
H sun’s rays
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D - solar energy is collected by a flat plate collector
S for economical and efficient drying of grains
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

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- essentially a low temperature grain drying source
- simple and economical and produces minimum
kernel stress cracks and mechanical damage
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

KEY FEATURES of SBD:

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• A safe and innovative drying solution designed to protect
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commodities from unpredictable rains.
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• Multi-crop dryer for various agricultural commodities such as
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paddy, corn, coffee, and others.
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• Prevents grain spillage losses and other unhealthy
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contaminants.
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• Collapsible materials and detachable components make it easy
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to transport and assemble on any flat surface.
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• Can be operated on purely solar or electric power.
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• Comes equipped with a rake mixer to easily mix grains when
drying.
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Batch Drying System
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1) Batch drying and storage system
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2) Batch drying system
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Batch Drying System
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1) Batch drying and storage system
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- the grains are dried in layers or in a full bin of grains
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and left in the same bin for storage
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- the drying periods are lengthy and may extend to
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several days or weeks
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- this system usually uses unheated air, although there is
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a provision for supplementary heating arrangements
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- special features: low temperature drying and low
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airflow rate
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Batch Drying System
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2) Batch drying system
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- the batches of grains to be dried are introduced before
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starting of the drying cycle and none of it is discharged until the
drying of the entire batch is complete
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- a popular drying method and a large quantity of heated
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air is usually forced through a shallow thickness of grain
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- drying air temperature, air distribution and heat
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distribution affect the quality of dried grains and the energy
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economy of drying
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

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O - grain and air conditions change with both time and
D position
S - the majority of the drying takes place in the volume
called a “drying zone” which moves through the grain in the
direction of the airflow
- the volume of the drying zone varies with temperature
and relative humidity of entering air
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Batch Drying System
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Classification of batch type heated-air mechanical grain drier
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1. Flat bed type - batch type dryer wherein a fixed amount of grain
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is held stationary in a horizontal grain holding bin
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Batch Drying System
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Batch Drying System
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Classification of batch type
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heated-air mechanical grain
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drier
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2. Recirculating type - batch
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type dryer equipped to
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circulate and/or mixed fixed
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amount of grain during the
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drying operation
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

Batch Recirculating Type

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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

Batch Recirculating Dryer

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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

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Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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- the material being dried moves through the drying
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chamber in a substantially continuous stream and is
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discharged without being recirculated and where the
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drying and tempering processes are accomplished in
another holding bin or column.
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- are characterized by the relative direction of grain and air
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movement through the drier.
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- Efficient handling equipment, before and after the dryer,
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is required in order to gain greatest benefit.
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- Continuous-flow dryers need minimal supervision and
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produce an evenly dried product
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y
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N 4 Basic Types
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1. Cross flow drier
M 2. Concurrent flow drier
E 3. Counter flow drier
T 4. Mixed flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Cross flow drier - the wet grain flows by gravity from a wet
I holding bin through screened grain columns surrounding
N the plenum.
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- a heater-fan assembly is located within the drying section
M of the heated air plenum and forces the hot air through
E the grain to the ambient in a direction perpendicular to
T the flow of the grain.
H - ambient air is drawn by cross-flow through the grain into
O the heater-fan assembly in the cooling section of the
D dryer.
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Cross flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Cross flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

Continuous Flow Drying Systems

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Concurrent flow drier - a tempering section separates the
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two adjoining drying stages.
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- The wet grain flows from a garner bin through the two
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drying sections and the tempering section in the same
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direction as the drying air.
- There is no airflow in the tempering section. The function
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of the tempering process is to reduce the temperature and
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moisture gradients in the kernels before the grain is
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further dried, which improves the quality of the grain. In
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the cooler, the grain and the air flow in opposite
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directions.
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- The depth of the grain bed (or layer) in a concurrent-flow
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dryer and the static pressure and inlet-air temperature
are substantially larger and higher than in cross-flow and
mixed-flow dryers.
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

Continuous Flow Drying Systems

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Concurrent flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

Continuous Flow Drying Systems

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Concurrent flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Counter flow drier - the drying zone exists only in the
I lower layers of the grain mass and is truncated at its lower
N edge so that the grain being removed is not overdried.
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- The warm, saturated, or near-saturated air leaving the
M drying zone passes through the cool, incoming grain.
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T - These dryers are relatively efficient since the air exhausts
H through the wettest grain.
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D - can remove more moisture than either cross flow or
S concurrent flow dryers if the same depth and air flow
rate are used.
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Counter flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Mixed flow drier - the wet grain flows from a garner bin
I over alternate horizontal rows of hot inlet-air ducts and cold
N outlet-air ducts.
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- The spacing between the air ducts determines the grain
M layer depth through which the air is forced.
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T - Air from the inlet-air ducts flows upwards and
H downwards to the surrounding outlet-air ducts, in a
O combination of cross-flow, concurrent-flow, and
D counterflow with respect to the grain.
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- In a mixed-flow dryer, the bottom series of inlet-air and
outlet-air ducts serves as the cooling section
AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Mixed flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Mixed flow drier
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AE 514 (Processing, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Products I)

GRAIN DRYING SYSTEMS

D Continuous Flow Drying Systems
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Y Mixed flow drier
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