LECTURE 3

Drying- Moisture content determination, Grain

drying strategy- Thin layer drying, Deep bed
drying; Drying Methods
Commercial grain dryers (deep bed dryer, flat
bed dryer, tray dryer, fluidized bed dryer,
recirculatory dryer and solar dryer), greenhouse
drying.
Material handling equipment: conveyers,
elevators, principle, working and selection.
 
 Importance
• Permits long time storage of grain without deterioration
• Permits continuous supply of product thro’ out the year
• Permits early harvest which reduces field damage and
shattering loss
• Permits the farmers to have better quality product
• Makes products available during off season
Moisture Content determination
• Oven method (air and vacuum)
• Brown-duvel fractional distillation
• Infrared method
• Dielectric method
• Electrical resistance
• Chemical
• They gain or loose moisture as per the atmospheric conditions
• Moisture migration into or from a product is dependent on
the difference of vapour pressure between atmosphere and
product
• If the vapour pressure of grain is greater than atmospheric
vapour pressure, transfer of moisture from grain to
atmosphere takes place
• If the atmospheric vapour pressure is greater than grain
vapour pressure, grain absorbs moisture from atmosphere
Divided into 3 periods

• Constant rate period

• First Falling rate period
• Second falling rate period
Constant rate period

• Moisture migration rate from inside of product to its surface is equal

to the rate of evaporation of water from surface
• This period continues till critical moisture content is reached
• Critical moisture content: Moisture content of a product where
constant rate drying ceases and falling rate starts
• This period is very short for agricultural products
• Drying of sand and washed seeds takes place in constant rate period
• Falling rate period
• Most of the agricultural products are dried in falling rate drying period
• Movement and diffusion of moisture in interior of grains controls the entire drying process
Controlled by
• Migration of moisture from interior of grains to upper surface due to water vapour diffusion
• Removal of moisture from the surface
• Divided into two periods
• First falling rate period
• Second falling rate period
• First falling rate
• Unsaturated surface drying
• Drying rate decreases because of the decrease in wet surface area
• Fraction of wet surface decreases to zero, where first falling rate ends
• Second falling rate
• Sub surface evaporation takes place & it continues until the equilibrium moisture content is
reached
Mechanism of drying process

Movement of moisture takes place due to

• Capillary flow – Liquid movement due to surface forces
• Liquid diffusion – Liquid movement due to difference in moisture
concentration
• Surface diffusion - Liquid movement due to moisture diffusion of the pore
spaces
• Vapour diffusion – vapour movement due to moisture concentration
difference
• Thermal diffusion - vapour movement due to temperature difference
• Hydro dynamic flow – water and vapour movement due to total pressure
difference
Thin layer drying
• Process in which all grains are fully exposed to the drying air under
constant drying conditions i.e. at constant air temp. & humidity.
• Up to 20 cm thickness of grain bed is taken as thin layer
• All commercial dryers are designed based on thin layer drying principles
• Represented by Newton’s law by replacing moisture content in place of
temperature M-Me/Mo-Me = e -Kθ
• M – Moisture content at any time θ, % db
• Me- EMC, %db
• Mo – Initial moisture content, %db
• K – drying constant
• θ - time, hour
Deep bed drying

• All grains are not fully exposed to the same condition of drying air
• Condition of drying air changes with time and depth of grain bed
• Rate of airflow per unit mass of grain is small
• Drying of grain in deep bin can be taken as sum of several thin layers
• Humidity & temperature of air entering & leaving each layer vary with
time
• Volume of drying zone varies with temp & humidity of entering air,
moisture content of grain & velocity of air
• Continuous flow dryer
• Columnar type dryer in which wet grains flow from top to the bottom
of the dryer
• Two types
• Mixing
• Non-mixing
• Mixing
• Grains are diverted in the dryer by providing baffles
• Use low air flow rates of 50-95 m3/min/tonne
• Zig-zag columns enclosed by screens are used to achieve mixing  High
drying air temperature of 65°C is used
Baffle dryer
• Continuous flow mixing type dryer
• Consists of receiving bin, drying chamber fitted with baffles, plenum
fitted with hot air inlet
• Baffles are fitted to divert the flow & also for mixing
• Grain fed at the top & move downward in a zig-zag path where it
encounters a cross flow of hot air
• Bucket elevator is used to recirculate the grain till the grain is dried to
desired moisture level
• Uniformly dried product is obtained
Non-mixing

• Grains flow in a straight path

• Baffles are not provided and drying takes
place between two parallel screens
• High airflow rates can be used
• Drying air temp. of 54°C is used
Recirculatory Batch dryer
• Continuous flow non mixing type
• Consists of 2 concentric circular cylinders, set 15-20 cm apart
• Bucket elevator is used to feed & recirculated the grain Centrifugal
blower blows the hot air into the inner cylinder, acts as a plenum
• Grain is fed at the top of the inside cylinder; comes in contact with a
cross flow of hot air
• The exhaust air comes out through perforations of the outer cylinder
• Grain is recirculated till it is dried to desired moisture content
• Drying is not uniform as compared to mixing type
LSU dryer
• Developed at Louisiana state university (LSU)
• Continuous mixing type dryer
• Developed specifically for rice to ensure gentle treatment, good mixing & good air to grain
contact
• Consists of rectangular chamber, holding bin, blower with duct, grain discharging mechanism
and air heating system
• Layers of inverted V shaped channels are installed in the drying chamber; heated air is
introduced through these channels at many points
• Alternate layers are air inlet & outlet channels; arranged one below the other in an offset
pattern
• Inlet port consists of few full size ports & two half size ports; all ports are of same size
arranged in equal spacing
• Ribbed rollers are provided at the bottom of drying chamber for the discharge of grain
• Capacity varies from 2-12 tonnes
• Recommended air flow rate is 60-70
m3/min/tonne
• Air temp. are 60 &85°C for raw & parboiled
paddy
• Uniformly dried product can be obtained
• Can be used for different types of grain
• High capital investment
Tray Dryers
• In tray dryers, the food is spread out, generally
quite thinly, on trays in which the drying takes
place.
• Heating may be by an air current sweeping
across the trays, or heated shelves on which the
trays lie, or by radiation from heated surfaces.
• Most tray dryers are heated by air, which also
removes the moist vapours.
Pneumatic Dryers
• In a pneumatic dryer, the solid food particles are
conveyed rapidly in an air stream, the
• velocity and turbulence of the stream maintaining the
particles in suspension.
• Heated air accomplishes the drying and often some
form of classifying device is included in the equipment.
• In the classifier, the dried material is separated, the dry
material passes out as product and the moist remainder
is recirculated for further drying
Load Capacity per Unit Length
• Manufacturers will offer this attribute in cases where the conveyor will
be built to a custom length to permit users to determine loading
margins.
Maximum Load Capacity
• Associated with Load Capacity per Unit Length, this value can be stated
for fixed length, purpose-built conveyors. This can also be known as
flow rate.
Conveyor Belt System Speed/Rated Speed
• Belt conveyors are typically rated in terms of belt speed in ft/min. while
powered roller conveyors described the linear velocity in similar units to
a package, carton, etc. moving over the powered rollers. Rated speed
applies to apron/slat conveyors and drag/chain/tow conveyors as well.
Throughput
• Throughput measures the capacity of conveyors that handle powdered
materials and similar bulk products. It is often given as a volume per unit
time, for instance, as cubic feet per minute. This attribute applies to bucket,
pneumatic/vacuum, screw, vibrating, and walking beam conveyors.
Frame Configuration
• Frame configuration refers to the shape of the conveyor frame. Frames can
be straight, curved, z-frames, or other shapes.
Drive Location
• Drives can be located in different places on conveyor systems. A head or end
drive is found on the discharge side of the conveyor and is the most common
type. Center drives are not always at the actual center of the conveyor, but
somewhere along its length, and are mounted underneath the system.
They’re used for reversing the direction of a conveyor.
Types
• Belt • Overhead
• Roller • Pneumatic/Vacuum
• Powered Roller • Screw/Auger
• Slat/Apron • Vertical
• Ball Transfer • Vibrating
• Magnetic • Walking Beam
• Bucket • Wheel
• Chute
• Drag/Chain/Tow
Material handling includes a number of operations that can be executed
either by hand (manual) or by mechanical means or devices to convey
material and to reduce the human drudgery.

1. Belt conveyor
2. Bucket elevator
3. Screw conveyor
4. Chain Conveyor
5. Pneumatic conveyor
Belt conveyors
A belt conveyor is an endless belt operating
between two pulleys with its load supported on
idlers.
Generally, for grain conveying, belt speed of 2.5 to
2.8
m/s is recommended.
Capacity, m2/h = (area of cross section-m2)X(belt speed, m/min)X 6O
Belt conveyor
idlers
1.The flat belt idlers are used for
granular materials having an angle
of repose of not less than 35°.
2.Troughing idlers with 20° trough is
used for conveying all kinds of bulk
materials.
3.Troughing idlers with 35° and 45°
trough angle is mainly used for
transportation of small particle light
weight materials like grain, cotton
seed etc
Idler Spacing
The space between the successive idlers should be
approximately equal to the width of belt. The spacing should
not exceed 1·2 metres.

Belt tension:-

The tension developed at the drive pulley in transmitting

the required power to move the loaded belt is known as
effective tension.

Effective tensoin, T =Power, KW/belt speed, m/s.

 Bucket Elevator

The vertical lift of the elevator

may range between few metres to
more than 50 m. Capacities of
bucket elevators may vary
from 2 to 1000 t/hr

(1) spaced bucket elevators and

(2)continuous bucket elevators.
 The spaced bucket elevators are further classified as,

(1) centrifugal discharge elevators,

(2) positive-discharge elevators,
(3) marine leg elevators and
(4) high-speed elevators.

The continuous bucket elevators are classified as

(5) super capacity bucket elevators and

(6) internal-discharge bucket elevators.

The product flow is discharged either by means of gravity or centrifugal

force.
The spaced bucket centrifugal discharge type is most
commonly
used for elevating the grains.

1. low speed gravitational discharge

2. high speed centrifugal discharge
The bucket elevator's capacity may be calculated
by the following equation.
Elevator capacity, t/hr = capacity, m3x No. of bucket per m. of
beltx belt speed, m/min.x 6O

Capacity, t/hr = Capacity, m3/hr x material density, kg/m3÷ 1000

The bucket elevator's capacity mainly depends on

Bucket size
Conveying speed
Bucket design
Spacing
Way of loading and unloading
The characteristic of bulk material
The main parts of a bucket
elevator are,

(1) elevator head section,

(2) elevator boot section,
(3) elevator legs,
(4) belts for bucket
elevator and
(5) buckets.
Elevator Belts
The total stretch of the belt
under maximum load
should not exceed 1-2 % of
the belt length
Buckets
The top angle is generally taken
as 80° while the bottom angle is
between 20-30°.

Elevator Belts

Buckets
HP requirement
The theoretical horsepower should be increased 10-15% to
• Hp = QHF/ 4562
provide for friction and power requirements for loading,
power transmission and drive losses.
• where,

• Q = capacity of bucket elevator, kg/min H = lift of elevator,

m
• F = factor; 1.5 for elevators loaded on the up side and
• 1.2 for elevators loaded on the bottom side
 Screw Conveyor

The screw conveyor consists of a tubular or U-

shaped trough in which a shaft with spiral screw
revolves.
Screw conveyor details
The screw conveyor is generally used to move grains horizontally. However, it
can also be used at any angle up to 90° from the horizontal, but the capacity
correspondingly reduced as per the inclination of conveyance.

The pitch of a standard screw which is the distance from the

centre of one thread to the centre of the next thread is equal to
its diameter.

Screw conveyor details

Capacity of the screw conveyor can be given
by the following equation :-
Capacity Q, m3/hr = 47.2 (D2 - d2) X P x n
where,
D = screw diameter, m
d = shaft diameter, m
p = pitch, m
n = rpm

Power requirement

Horse power =
QLWF/4560

where,
Q = conveyor capacity, m3/hr
L = conveyor length, m
W = bulk material weight,
Pneumatic Conveyor :-

The pneumatic conveyor moves

granular materials in a closed duct
by a high velocity air stream.
The pneumatic conveying system
needs a source of air blowing or
suction, means of feeding the
product into the conveyor,
For dispersion of bulk material,
air
velocities in the range of 15-30 m/s
is
necessary.
Chain Conveyor

A chain is a reliable machine component, which

transmits power by means of tensile forces, and is used
primarily for power transmission and conveyance
systems.

Types of Chain conveyor

Cast iron chain

Cast steel chain
Forged chain
Steel chain
Plastic chain