Grain Drying Fundamentals

The design, selection, and operation of grain drying equipment should be based on
an understanding of grain drying principles and the factors influencing dryer
performance. This chapter describes the drying process, based on an
understanding of the Psychometrics of Drying

Basic Principles
Aeration rates
The process of drying grain is something involves evaporating water from the grain
in an airstream. You pass air through the grain so that the air can pick up and carry
away water. The process of moving air through grain is often called aeration.
Aeration rates are often specified in cfm/bu. Table below gives some common
aeration rates, which depend on the type of application. The term fluidization in
Table refers to grain becoming suspended or fluidizing as the force of the air from
underneath approaches grain weight.

Table. Typical grain aeration rates.

Application

Grain aeration rate

Quality maintenance

1/50 to 1

Natural-air bin drying

1 to 3

Heated-air bin drying

2 to 12

Batch or continuous-flow column dryers

Fluidization

cfm/bu*

50 to 150
~ 400

* The definition of the bushel may vary. Most common is 1 bu = 1.245 ft3.

Deep-bed natural-air bin drying.

Figure ??? Illustrates a natural-air bin drying situation used to describe the process
of drying grain

Grain Bin

Air Mass Flow with

Moisture

Perforated steel

Figure. Deep-bed, natural-air grain drying example

Aeration rate

Grain Stores

Corn and
Soybeans

Wheat
Oats and
Sorghum

Table. Approximate Static Pressure in Pascals (inches)

Aeration Rate in L/sm (CFM/bu )
Grain Depth
Meters (feet)
2.6 (1/5)
1.3 (1/10)
0.65 (1/20)
3 (10)
125 (0.5)
110 (0.45)
100 (0.4)
4.5 (15)
150 (0.6)
140 (0.55)
125 (0.5)
6 (20)
190 (0.75)
160 (0.65)
140 (0.55)
9 (25)
250 (1.0)
200 (0.8)
160 (0.65)
3 (10)
290 (1.15)
250 (1.0)
240 (0.95)
4.5 (15)
380 (1.5)
310 (1.25)
260 (1.05)
6 (20)
540 (2.15)
400 (1.6)
300 (1.2)
9 (25)
750 (3.0)
510 (2.05)
360 (1.45)

The bin in Figure contains 50,000 lb of corn at 20% moisture. Assuming 1 bu = 56

lb. @ 15.5% (equivalent to 47.32 lbs. of dry matter per bushel), the amount of grain
is calculated as:
500,000 lbs wet corn

0.8 lb dry matter

bu

8,453 bu
lb wet corn
47.32 lb dry matter

With the fan delivering 10,000 cfm, the aeration rate is

10,000 cfm
cfm
1.2
8,453 bu
bu

This is within the range for natural-air bin drying in Table for typical grain aeration
rate.

Grain Dryer Construction. The dryer consists of rectangular shell stacked with inside
trays holding grain alongs its height. The it connected to solar heating tube at the
base that supplys heated air at a maximum temp of 60 deg C depending on
prevailling enviromental conditions

The heated air is extracted from the cabinet via an outlet at the top of the housing
fitted with a suction fan. Construction material may vary depending on cost
however metal frame construction facilitate performance and solar radiant heat
accumulation in the compatment
It is also important to note that heat loss through wall is not a hinderance to
performance as the mechanism only operates with the presence of a positive heat
gradient in the presence of solar heat. Drying time therefore would be a function of
the average solar heat intensity coupled with the exposure time per day

Flow distribution without settling Chamber

Flow distribution after putting poforated plate settling Chamber

Schematic Arrangement

Cool Air Out

Distance Btw Trays

Cage Height

Grain Layer

Hot Air in

Boundary Parameters
Air Mass Flow Out ( Conserved)
Temp Out ( T- Del T)

Pressure Drop = TBD

Humidity Out (Increased)

No of Trays = TBD

Target Humidity @ 13%

Grain Size = Constant

Dist Btw Tray @ 15~30 Cm

Porosity = 0.5%

Initial Humidity @ 40%

Grain Shrinkage ignored

Air Mass Flow in ( Conserved)

Grain Height @ 15~30 Cm

Temp In ( T= 60 deg C )

Method of Determining Grain layer thickness

A packed bed is a hollow tube, pipe, or other vessel that is filled with a packing
material. The packing can be randomly filled with small objects or else it can
be a specifically designed structured packing. The purpose of a packed bed is
typically to improve contact between two phases.
From a fluid mechanical perspective, the most important issue is that of the
pressure drop required for the gas to flow through the column at a specified flow
rate. The area of study not only focuses on the pressure drop issue but
also encompasses velocity field of fluids and heat transfer in packed grain

systems. The study involved understanding fluid flow behavior through packed
bed systems by solving related governing equations and modeling. CFD
(COMSOL Multiphysics) has been used for obtaining the results.

Mathematical Modeling
Ergun Equation
The Ergun equation tells us a number of things. It tells us the pressure drop along
the length of the packed bed given some fluid velocity. It also tells us that the
pressure drop depends on the packing size, length of bed, fluid viscosity and fluid
density.

Example
Calculate the pressure drop of air flowing at 30 oC and 1 atm pressure through a
bed of 1.25 cm diameter spheres, at a rate of 60 kg/min. The bed is 125 cm
diameter and 250 cm height. The porosity of the bed is 0.38. The viscosity of air
is 0.0182 cP and the density is 0.001156 gm/cc.
Mass flow rate of Air = 60 kg/min = 1
kg/sec

Density of Air (r) = 0.001156 gm/cc =

1.156 kg/m3

Viscosity of Air (m) = 0.0182 cP =

0.0182 x 10-3 kg/(m.sec)

Bed porosity (e) = 0.38

Diameter of bed (D) = 125 cm = 1.25

m

Length of bed (L) = 250 cm = 2.5 m

Dia of particles (Dp) = 1.25 cm =

0.0125 m

Sphericity (F s) = 1 (sphere)

Formulae: NRePM = DpVor/(m (1 - e) )

For laminar flow (i.e. NRePM < 10) pressure drop is given by Blake-Kozeny equation.

For turbulent flow (i.e. NRePM > 1000) pressure drop is given by Burke-Plummer
equation.

For intermediate flows pressure drop is given by Ergun equation

Superficial velocity Vo = Volumetric flow rate/ cross-sectional area of bed

Calculations:
Volumetric flow rate = mass flow rate / density = 1 / 1.156 = 0.865 m 3/sec
Superficial velocity Vo = 0.865 / ( (p/4) D2 ) = 0.865 / ( (p/4) 1.252 ) = 0.705 m/sec
NRePM = 0.0125 x 0.705 x 1.156 / (0.0182 x 10-3 x ( 1- 0.38 ) ) = 903
We shall use Ergun equation to find the pressure drop.

i.e. Dp x 0.0125 x 0.383 / (2.5 x 1.156 x 0.7052 x (1 - 0.38)) = 150 / 903 + 1.75
Dp x 7.702 x 10-4 = 1.92
Dp = 1.92 / 7.702 x 10-4 = 2492.92 N/m2

2.2 Equation of Continuity

The continuity equation states that the rate of increase of mass in a control volume
is equal to the difference in rate of mass in and rate of mass out. The differential
form of the continuity equation is:
If is a constant, as in the case of incompressible flow, the mass continuity
equation simplifies to a volume continuity equation:

Transparent Packed View

Mesh Generation

Section View

Plan View

Tetrahedral Mesh

The first step is to determine the pressure drop across different grains height. Grain
layer thickness of 300mm, 250mm, 200mm, 150mm is simulated to determine the
optimum thickness.
Simulation Set-up
Newtonian fluid (air) with constant density =1.225 kg/m3 and viscosity =
1.78910-5 Pas resulting in the Navier-Stokes equations (for laminar flow) the
boundary conditions were zero velocity (no-slip) on all particles and the tube wall, a
flat inlet velocity vin at the tube entrance, and the pressure, no viscous stress
condition at the tube exit.

Inlet Boundary Conditions

Type

Volume Flow Rate

Value

Volume Flow Rate: 5.0000 m^3/s

Temperature: 353.20 K

Ambient Environment Condition

Type

Environment Pressure

Value

Environment Pressure: 101325.00 Pa

Temperature: 293.20 K

Results
Name

Unit

Value

Maximum Velocity

m/s

196.328

Specific
Thermal
Kinematic Expansion
Heat
Conductivity Viscosity Coefficient
- cp -k--b(kJ/(kg K)) (W/(m K)) x 10-6 (m2/s) x 10-3 (1/K)

Temperature
-t(oC)

Density
-(kg/m3)

Prandtl's
Number
- Pr -

-50

1.534

1.005

0.0204

9.55

4.51

0.725

1.293

1.005

0.0243

13.30

3.67

0.715

20

1.205

1.005

0.0257

15.11

3.43

0.713

40

1.127

1.005

0.0271

16.97

3.20

0.711

60

1.067

1.009

0.0285

18.90

3.00

0.709

80

1.000

1.009

0.0299

20.94

2.83

0.708