Grain Drying with Biomass

[Gruffalo]

We have a Dragon D20 & accumulator tank which runs a district heating system very well

We would like to install a concrete drive on drying floor, along with an Industrial Drier from UK Exchangers (or similar). The drying area would be 40' (2 bays) x 50' split in 2 by the drying tunnel. Height of grain would be up to 8'. I realise starting moisture and grain depth will influence drying time. There is an extractor fan at the back of the shed to remove damp air.

We also need a suitable pump and insulated pipe. Our district heating system has a Grundfos Magna pump & Rauthermex pipe. There is a 2" outlet on our buffer tank manifold. I wondered about using an identical pump so we have a spare for either system.
Insulated pipe could be any make, there will be a heat meter on the as it is a complex system for RHI.

Please can anyone advise on above or perhaps have a similar system in the midlands that we could look at ?

Thank you

 

[Doing it for the kids]

A 2 inch pipe won't give you masses of kw to play with but reckon it will work

I have used uponor with a big heat exchange in the fan doorway. Rig pump up to a humidity stat so fans cut off when humidity goes up too high / run out of heat. This way you can use up all spare capacity the boiler has to offer you.

Pm me if you want a price for the pipe work

 

[Matt]

what sort of lay out you looking for this drying floor set up. want to do something similar with our biomass boiler

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Ours is all under floor with a mix of concrete and timber laterals.

Fans at the back with big heatbexchanges mounted in door ways.can dry the air even when it's raining!

 

[Still Farming]

Think someone on here or other forum was doing same through massive lorry radiators and fans with a dragon ?

 

[Turra farmer]

Ours is all under floor with a mix of concrete and timber laterals.

Fans at the back with big heatbexchanges mounted in door ways.can dry the air even when it's raining!

What type of heat exchangers ? What temperatures.?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Had 3 quote, think best for the 300 kw was about £2.5 k

200kw was about £1800

Temps, raised by 10 - 15 degrees but RH can take it from 98 down to 40's.

Still experimenting on sweet spot, toss up between max drying vs continuous fans on 24/7.

What kw rating is your boiler, what size buffer. You need a decent tank if you want to dry round the clock

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Think someone on here or other forum was doing same through massive lorry radiators and fans with a dragon ?

Yeah, post 2 yrs back. Think he was running about 1 MW, drying for 6 month of the year burning huge quantities of straw from memory.

 

[warksfarmer]

We have a Dragon D20 & accumulator tank which runs a district heating system very well

We would like to install a concrete drive on drying floor, along with an Industrial Drier from UK Exchangers (or similar). The drying area would be 40' (2 bays) x 50' split in 2 by the drying tunnel. Height of grain would be up to 8'. I realise starting moisture and grain depth will influence drying time. There is an extractor fan at the back of the shed to remove damp air.

We also need a suitable pump and insulated pipe. Our district heating system has a Grundfos Magna pump & Rauthermex pipe. There is a 2" outlet on our buffer tank manifold. I wondered about using an identical pump so we have a spare for either system.
Insulated pipe could be any make, there will be a heat meter on the as it is a complex system for RHI.

Please can anyone advise on above or perhaps have a similar system in the midlands that we could look at ?

Thank you

If my maths is correct your looking at drying about 160t batch either side of the middle wall?

The D20 is a 195kw boiler and using some very crude maths that would be sufficient to dry about 400t in Tier 1 per year. So is it big enough to do everything you want including the domestic heating unless your prepared to move into Tier 2 which is borderline whether it's worth when the fuel cost and running cost is accounted for in terms of rhi payment. Probably still cheaper than paying for gas though.

 

[Turra farmer]

Had 3 quote, think best for the 300 kw was about £2.5 k

200kw was about £1800

Temps, raised by 10 - 15 degrees but RH can take it from 98 down to 40's.

Still experimenting on sweet spot, toss up between max drying vs continuous fans on 24/7.

What kw rating is your boiler, what size buffer. You need a decent tank if you want to dry round the clock

 

[Turra farmer]

200kw boiler ,
Thought max temp would be below 100 because it's water based , must take an age to dry as conventional drier heat is in excess of 200! Degrees ?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Are you talking about floor drying, or continuous flow?

We have dried all our grain on floors for years, the only difference was 2 yrs ago the fuel tanks and oil burners were scrapped and these units added. Takes a few weeks to dry but in no rush.

 

[Gruffalo]

If my maths is correct your looking at drying about 160t batch either side of the middle wall?

The D20 is a 195kw boiler and using some very crude maths that would be sufficient to dry about 400t in Tier 1 per year. So is it big enough to do everything you want including the domestic heating unless your prepared to move into Tier 2 which is borderline whether it's worth when the fuel cost and running cost is accounted for in terms of rhi payment. Probably still cheaper than paying for gas though.

Hopefully we won't need to dry anymore but that depends on the season, we have a good supply of fuel so if we end up in tier 2 it will be better than the current batch drier.

 

[Gruffalo]

Are you talking about floor drying, or continuous flow?

We have dried all our grain on floors for years, the only difference was 2 yrs ago the fuel tanks and oil burners were scrapped and these units added. Takes a few weeks to dry but in no rush.

Would be on floor so possibly similar to yours ?? How big an area is your drying shed and how long would it take to dry from say 18 down to 14.5 ? No doubt depth and tonnage makes a difference. Is there an optimum depth ?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

I can't recall the bigger one but the smaller is 60x60 foot print with tunnel down middle.

depth depends on fan puff (technical term that)!

We dry one side at a time, takes a week or so running 24/7. Air and RH temp obv makes a massive difference.

I woukd buy a 200 kw unit and stick it in the door way.

Welcome to come and see my set up, where are you based?

 

[warksfarmer]

Would be on floor so possibly similar to yours ?? How big an area is your drying shed and how long would it take to dry from say 18 down to 14.5 ? No doubt depth and tonnage makes a difference. Is there an optimum depth ?

Would be on floor so possibly similar to yours ?? How big an area is your drying shed and how long would it take to dry from say 18 down to 14.5 ? No doubt depth and tonnage makes a difference. Is there an optimum depth ?

If you don't stir it you can end up with extremely dry, as in 6% stuff, on the bottom and 14% on the top along with germination.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

At what depth? We can't puff more than 6-7 feet on the older sheds.

I thought stirrers were more for 8ft plus?

 

[warksfarmer]

At what depth? We can't puff more than 6-7 feet on the older sheds.

I thought stirrers were more for 8ft plus?

Had this year in 4ft of linseed. We think it's because the heat is so intense and constant. That was running 24/7. We are currently trying boiler heat in the day then, ambient air at night so it's more gradual.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

What temp are you aiming for and what RH?

We don't get hot just dry

 

[warksfarmer]

What temp are you aiming for and what RH?

We don't get hot just dry

Grain temp when drying is around 25.
Temp at the heat exchanger around 85 average.
RH when the boiler going full chat not so important as the heat is so intense it holds the tunnel temp high. The fan cut off is currently set at 75 water temp.