Effect of airflow distribution on the performance of NA/LT in-bin drying of corn

RICARDO BARTOSIK; DIRK MAIER

TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE

AMER SOC AGRICULTURAL & BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS

Año: 2006 vol. 49 p. 1095 - 1104

0001-2351

The localized concentration of fine material in the core grain mass after loading a bin causes the airflow to distribute non-uniformly. In this research, the fine material distribution in the grain mass and the air velocity at the center and periphery locations in the bin were quantified for 15 on-farm natural air / low temperature (NA/LT) in-bin drying and conditioning tests. The effect of best management practices (BMPs) (i.e., leveling the grain peak after filling the bin and coring the grain mass) on fine material distribution and/or airflow distribution were quantified. When the grain peak was not leveled, the airflow distribution resulted in a non-uniformity factor (NUF) of 89% versus 36% after leveling. The coring operation reduced the concentration of fine material at the center of the grain mass by one percentage point and reduced the NUF to −28%. The effect of BMPs on the performance of NA/LT in-bin drying systems were further investigated usingsimulation for four representative locations in the Midwestern Corn Belt (North Platte, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Evansville, Indiana). The total overall drying cost savings gained from applying these simple BMPs ranged from 39% to 49%. The savings were more significant in the northern and western regions (North Platte and Des Moines) than in the southern and eastern regions (Indianapolis and Evansville).