Wisconsin Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resource

Grain Drying

Energy Conservation for Continuous Flow Dryers

• Heat Recovery

  Heat recovery on continuous flow column dryers can save 10 to 15% by recycling the exhaust air from the cooling or lower heating section of the dryer. For a dryer with a cooling section, heat recovery can be done by drawing a percentage of the intake air for the heating section through the grain to cool the grain while preheating the air entering the heating chamber. Air can also be recycled from both the lower heat section and the cooling section to reclaim additional heat. Recycling air does reduce dryer capacity slightly depending on the moisture content of the recycled air.

• Cooling Options

  Cooling grain in a dryer reduces capacity and rapid cooling will cause kernels to stress crack which may lead to lower value of the grain. Using a full heat dryer and transferring the grain to a bin for cooling at a slower rate will save energy and improve grain quality. The grain can be transferred to the cooling bin at 1 to 3 % moisture above the desired storage moisture level depending on the cooling method used. Dryeration will save the most energy and provide the best grain quality. Refer to Midwest Plan Service publication MWPS-13 for an explanation of Dryeration.

If you have information you think would be useful to this site please contact
Scott Sanford, Senior Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin, sasanford@wisc.edu.