Grain dryer and method for using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11047623-B2
Application number	US-201716330570-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Sep 6, 2016
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

There is provided a grain dryer in which the whole of a dryer main body can be made effective use of whether the grain dryer is used in either a circulation drying mode or in a continuous flow drying mode, the grain dryer including a dryer main body into which grains are loaded, a hot air chamber provided at one side of the dryer main body to supply hot air into an interior of the dryer main body, and an exhaust air chamber provided at the other side of the dryer main body to discharge hot air from the interior of the dryer main body, wherein the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber each have a plurality of upper and lower independent spaces, the corresponding spaces of the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber being disposed to be positioned substantially at a same height, and wherein the individual spaces of the hot air chamber communicate with corresponding hot air generators to execute separate supplies of hot air generated by the hot air generators into the individual spaces, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as a drying section to dry grains loaded into the interior of the dryer main body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A grain dryer comprising:
a dryer main body into which grains are loaded;
a hot air chamber provided at one side of the dryer main body to supply hot air into an interior of the dryer main body; and
an exhaust air chamber provided at a second side opposite the one side of the dryer main body to discharge hot air from the interior of the dryer main body,
grains loaded into the interior of the dryer main body being dried by hot air supplied from the hot air chamber, the hot air used to dry the grains being discharged from the exhaust air chamber,
wherein the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber each have a plurality of corresponding upper and lower independent spaces, the upper and lower independent spaces of the hot air chamber being disposed to be positioned substantially at a same height as the corresponding upper and lower independent spaces of the exhaust air chamber, and
wherein the independent spaces of the hot air chamber communicate respectively with corresponding hot air generators to execute separate supplies of hot air generated by the hot air generators into the independent spaces, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as a drying section to dry grains loaded into the interior of the dryer main body.

2. The grain dryer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber are both divided into two upper and lower compartments by partitions provided substantially at same height positions within the individual chambers, allowing both the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber to have two upper and lower independent spaces.

3. The grain dryer according to claim 1 ,
wherein hot air generated by the hot air generators is supplied to the lower independent spaces of the hot air chamber, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the lower independent spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as the drying section.

4. The grain dryer according to claim 1 ,
wherein hot air generated by the hot air generators is supplied to all the spaces of the hot air chamber, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from all the spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as the drying section.

5. The grain dryer according to claim 1 ,
wherein hot air generated by the hot air generators is supplied to the upper independent spaces of the hot air chamber, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the upper independent spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as the drying section.

6. The grain dryer according claim 1 ,
wherein a hot air channel formed of a multiple aperture wall and opened at a first end facing the hot air chamber and an exhaust air channel formed of a multiple aperture wall opened at a second end facing the exhaust air chamber are provided in the interior of the dryer main body, the hot air channel and the exhaust air channel being provided to extend horizontally between opposite side walls of the body, and with the hot air channel and the exhaust air channel forming a pair in an up-and-down direction, a plurality of pairs of hot air channel and exhaust air channel are provided in a predetermined range in a height direction of the dryer main body,
wherein each opening of the hot air channel and each opening of the exhaust air channel is provided with an opening and closing cover, while a level sensor configured to detect a storage amount of grains is provided at an upper portion of each of the pairs of hot air channel and exhaust air channel, and
wherein the opening and closing covers are each controlled to be opened or closed based on results of detections of the level sensors to start drying grains loaded into the dryer main body sequentially from a lower portion of the dryer main body.

7. The grain dryer according to claim 6 ,
wherein a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as a drying section, and a rotary valve provided at a bottom portion of the dryer main body is started to operate after the level sensor positioned at an uppermost portion of the drying section detects that grains are loaded in an entire space of the drying section to thereby start unloading the grains from the dryer main body.

8. The grain dryer according to claim 1 , comprising:
a rotary valve provided at a bottom portion of the dryer main body, wherein the rotary valve is started to unload the grains from the dryer main body,
wherein a first moisture meter configured to measure a moisture level of grains loaded into the dryer main body is provided before a loading port provided at an upper portion of the dryer main body, while a second moisture meter configured to measure a moisture level of grains unloaded from the dryer main body is provided after the rotary valve provided at the bottom portion of the dryer main body, and an operation speed of the rotary valve is controlled based on results of measurements by the first moisture meter and the second moisture meter to control a displacement of grains from the dryer main body, to thereby control a drying level of grains in the interior of the dryer main body.

9. A method for using a grain dryer in a circulation drying mode, comprising:
loading grains into a dryer main body, the dryer main body including a hot air chamber provided at one side of the dryer main body to supply hot air into an interior of the dryer main body and an exhaust air chamber provided at a second side opposite the one side of the dryer main body to discharge hot air from an interior of the dryer main body, wherein
the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber each have a plurality of corresponding upper and lower independent spaces, the upper and lower independent spaces of the hot air chamber positioned substantially at a same height as the corresponding upper and lower independent spaces of the exhaust air chamber, and wherein the independent spaces of the hot air chamber communicate respectively with corresponding hot air generators to execute separate supplies of hot air generated by the hot air generators into the independent spaces;

generating hot air by the hot air generators;
supplying the hot air to the lower independent spaces of the hot air chamber, wherein a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the lower independent spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as a drying section;
drying the grains loaded into the dryer main body by the hot air generated by the hot air generators and supplied from the hot air chamber, the hot air used to dry the grains being discharged from the exhaust air chamber, wherein a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from a space of the hot air chamber other than the lower independent spaces thereof is defined as a storage section; and
tempering the grains loaded into the dryer main body in the storage section.

10. A method for using a grain dryer in a continuous flow drying mode, comprising:
loading grains into a dryer main body, the dryer main body including a hot air chamber provided at one side of the dryer main body to supply hot air into an interior of the dryer main body and an exhaust air chamber provided at a second side opposite the one side of the dryer main body to discharge hot air from an interior of the dryer main body, wherein
the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber each have a plurality of corresponding upper and lower independent spaces,

Assignees

• Satake Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zheng Jun

Classifications

• F26B3/06

  the gas or vapour flowing through the materials or objects to be dried (F26B3/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F26B2200/06

  Grains, e.g. cereals, wheat, rice, corn · CPC title

• F26B21/006

  with the air or gases passing through hollow spaces or cores within the materials or objects to be dried, e.g. tubes, pipes or bottles · CPC title

• F26B21/001

  Air generating units, e.g. movable or independent of drying enclosure · CPC title

• F26B25/22

  Controlling the drying process in dependence on liquid content of solid materials or objects · CPC title