GRAIN DRYER DISCHARGE AIR RECYCLING SYSTEM An Introduction to the Design MECHENG 496

Tony Wagner Instructor: R. S. Amano Spring 2010 Report Submitted 3/5/2010

Executive Summary
This report has been prepared to report on the initial components of the design process of the grain dryer discharge air recycling system. Namely, these components are an overall introduction to grain drying, the parameters used in determining the feasibility of the recycling system, a set of requirements for the system and finally, a set of concepts which fulfill the requirements of the system. These requirements will be the basis for forthcoming design and experimentation work. The objective of the project is this: To create a system capable of decreasing the amount of fuel required to keep plenum air temperature at 200F, with only minimal (if any) increases in energy input to the complete operation. Specifically this will be for a Farm Fans Inc. (FFI) AB250A grain dryer. My initial analysis is solely on the potential cost benefits of such a system. This analysis involved making some educated assumptions on the operation of the dryer, as well as known parameters, namely fan size and capacity, typical dryer operating temperatures, and typical discharge air temperature. The fan is 36 inches in diameter and operates at a flow rate of 22250 cfm. The air temperature of the air in the dryer interior is set at 200F for drying purposes and the discharge air is typically at 125F. Additionally, typical drying time for corn is about 40 minutes. Based on the above parameters, I have arrived at the following conclusions: In a normal harvest and drying season, it is possible to save up to $2000 based on modest efficiencies. In an extreme drying season these cost savings can go much higher. Finally, I have devised seven different conceptual ideas to meet the energy saving objective. Collect hot air, send it through an air dryer, then back to the intake Directly heat ambient air using electric heating elements Pass cold air through radiator which has hot moist air passing over it Collect hot air, pass over water tank (heat sink), pump hot water through pipes that run through intake air Draw in ambient air mixed with hot air Draw ambient air into fan by passing it across partition wall between hot and cold air discharge air Collect air only from 20 minute cooling cycle, then store that air for initial heating of next batch

Introduction
This report, being a relative introduction to the grain dryer discharge air recycling project, will be primarily qualitative to give the reader a full understanding of the idea at hand and the physical processes at work. Some quantitative data will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of the system. Future reports will involve additional engineering theory as they will explain the process of choosing a suitable concept for further design. The objective of the project is this: To create a system capable of decreasing the amount of fuel required to keep plenum air temperature at 200F, with only minimal (if any) increases in energy input to the complete operation. Specifically this will be for a Farm Fans Inc. (FFI) AB250A grain dryer. Before a person can possibly try to develop a system capable of recycling grain dryer discharge air, one must first have a basic understanding of how a grain dryer works. The dryer consists of six main parts. The parts have been labeled and identified in the following diagram and list:

3. Loading Auger 6. Grain Column 8. Plenum (air chamber) 19. Control Box (thermostats, relays etc) 20. LP Burners 23. 15 hp axial fan

Figur e 1: Continuous Flow grain dryer with key parts identified

The axial fan brings in cold, ambient air at a flow rate of 22,250 cfm. This cold air must be heated by the liquid propane burners, and then it is blown into the plenum. The plenum is kept at a constant temperature of 200F by the thermostat within the control box. This hot air is then pushed through the grain column, which is encapsulated by sheets of perforated stainless or galvanized steel. The hot air leaves the grain column with moisture from the corn and a discharge temperature of approximately 125F. This hot, moist air is what I will be trying to utilize to heat the fan intake air.

Methods and Procedures

For this stage of the design process there were three things I was looking to accomplish: Establish a set of requirements for the device, analyze the feasibility of the device and produce a set of concepts that would fulfill the requirements. The methods and equations shown below primarily describe the process of determining the feasibility of this project. In order to know how much energy is being input to the drying process one must know just a few parameters. Sample calculations from the following equations can be found in the sample calculations section of the appendix. One has to know the temperature of the input air, the plenum air temperature and the mass of that air. It is also ideal to know the efficiency of the burner at heating the intake air. These parameters are described by the energy equation. 1.
where min is the mass of the input air, cp is the specific heat of air from tables, and T is the plenum air temp minus the ambient air temp

Furthermore, the mass of the air input to the system is a function of the volumetric flow rate produced by the fan, the density of the ambient air and the time spent drying a load of corn. 2. Since the volumetric flow rate into the plenum is the same regardless of intake air temperature, the energy savings per load of corn can be calculated by finding the energy difference between heating ambient air to the plenum temp versus heating the discharge-heated air to the plenum temp. 3. Additionally, since the energy content of one gallon of propane is known to be about 91,500 Btu/gallon, it is easy to calculate the gallons saved per load of corn. 4. Finally, if the cost per gallon of propane is known, it is possible to calculate the money saved per load of corn dried. 5.

For the purposes of Joe Wagner, the number of loads of corn dried in one year is typically around 75.

This is one last parameter that can be used to calculate the total money saved in one drying season. It is important to note that corn drying time is related to the initial moisture content of the corn. Corn is harvested between 20% and 35% moisture content by weight, and am15% moisture content must be achieved if corn is to be stored. The following table shows typical corn moisture contents and the corresponding drying times.
Moisture Content 20% 22% 25% 30+% Drying Time (minutes) 30 40 50 90+

Figure 2: Moisture content of corn before drying and corresponding drying times in minutes

The following four graphs show the potential monetary savings for Joe Wagner in four drying scenarios. The first is the most typical drying time at 40 minutes. The second is a minimum realistic drying time at 30 minutes. The third graph shows drying time to be 60 minutes which is fairly common. Finally, the last graph shows drying time of 90 minutes which is the result of a worst case scenario of grain moisture. In 2009 this worst case scenario was very common. Each line on the graphs represents a different ambient temperature, whereas the x-axis represents the temperature of the air into the dryer.

Figure 3: Fuel cost savings in one season for 40 minute typical load drying time

Figure 4: Fuel cost savings in one season for 40 minute typical load drying time

Figure 5: Fuel cost savings in one season for 60 minute typical load drying time

Figure 6: Fuel cost savings in one season for 90 minute typical load drying time

From these graphs it is easy to see that a modest amount of money can be saved in typical seasons, i.e. when the moisture contents are between 20 and 25% and fuel prices are between $2.00 and $2.50 per gallon. Outside of these normal situations however, is when significant savings can be realized.

Requirements
From the above feasibility analysis and from prior knowledge and survey I have developed a list of requirements that must be adhered to in the design of this system. The requirements involve cost of the system, constraints on the system to be developed, and performance objectives that the system must meet. The following is a list of the requirements, and the last two have been explained in greater detail. Cost: Must be able to be paid for in savings by the user in 3 years to be considered a viable investment to the farmer In this case cost to the user should be below $1200-1500 Must be built within dimensions of existing pole shed which houses the dryer No moisture can condense onto the dryer causes premature rust and would impair the drying process Cannot restrict air intake of fan fan venturi are designed to maximize efficiency

Must be able to allow ambient air into fan for cooling cycle

For the grain dryer in question, the fan was designed to utilize free stream air for maximum efficiency. It was built with inlet venture as well as vanes to reduce turbulence. The manifold section of the recirculation system will have to be built to not inhibit the free flow of air into the fan. The fan is also designed to shut down if there is a noticeable restriction placed upon it. If the manifold is not designed properly, it will keep the entire dryer from functioning at all. After the grain has been dried for the period of time necessary, the grain must be cooled to a temperature near ambient temperature. The cooling cycle lasts about 20 minutes. The intake fan must be able to use cold ambient air for this cooling cycle. To recycle the hot air while cooling would result in wasted energy in the form of excess fan usage, and would also lead to longer cooling times, thus bottlenecking the drying process even further.

Concepts
From the requirements and the feasibility study seven different concepts for design were developed. They are as follows: Collect hot air, send it through an air dryer, then back to the intake Directly heat ambient air using electric heating elements Pass cold air through radiator which has hot moist air passing over it Collect hot air, pass over water tank (heat sink), pump hot water through pipes that run through intake air Draw in ambient air mixed with hot moist air Draw ambient air into fan by passing it across partition wall between hot and cold air discharge air Collect air only from 20 minute cooling cycle, then store that air for initial heating of next batch

Each design will be evaluated using a combination of 3-D modeling, computational fluid dynamics, heat transfer and fluid dynamics calculations, and cost of equipment and parts. A scoring matrix will then be created rating the importance of each requirement and each concept will then be given a score on how well it achieves the given requirement. The concept which scores the highest will then be chosen for further analysis, development and prototyping.

References
Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications / Yunus A. Cengel, John M. Cimbala 1st ed. (McGrawHill, 2006) Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer / Frank P. Incropera, David P. Dewitt, et. al. 6th ed. (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007) Farm Fans Incorporated: www.fficorp.com Grain Systems Incorporated: www.grainsystems.com Grain Drying www.ag.ndsu.edu

Appendix