Modernization of a mobile grain dryer paid off in less than 2 months
In October 2013, one of the grain-drying farms in the Chernihiv region asked our specialists for help in automating a mobile grain dryer.
The principle of operation of this grain dryer is as follows. Grain is poured into the container. Warm air is supplied through the side pipe. An auger is installed vertically in the middle of the container, which, rotating, mixes the grain in the hopper. On this dryer, an engine mounted on an 18.5 kW auger (but actually consumed 17.5 kW of power from the network), which is switched on according to the star / triangle principle (to ensure smooth start-up) and runs constantly at one speed.
The idea of u200bu200bmodernization was to reduce the speed of rotation of the auger during the drying process, while ensuring slower passage of grain through the warm air zone and increasing the speed of grain drying due to the efficiency of drying grain in one pass. The solution was to use a frequency converter.
By setting the frequency converter to 18.5 kW manufacturer Delta-Electronics series B, activating the energy saving function, we got the following result. When operating at a frequency of 50 Hz, the power consumption was 12.5 kW. And when working at a reduced speed of 23 Hz, which experimentally amounted to the optimal grain drying time, 4.3 kW. The rate of grain drying has decreased by 20%. With an electricity tariff of 1 hryvnia, 92 kopecks, they saved 1.92*(17.5-4.3)=25.3 hryvnia per hour. For 1000 hours of work (42 days), the savings amounted to 25300 UAH, which completely repulsed the implementation of the solution and at the same time increased the amount of dried grain per day by 20%. The amount of damaged (broken) grain also decreased in percentage terms. The frequency converter provided a smooth start of the motor, which reduces the voltage in the mechanical units. If you are interested in this implementation, you can contact our specialists for a more detailed consultation by going to the section Contacts.