Abstract

This study analyzed the drying efficiency of a prototype low temperature closed-cycle grain drying system. The main principle of this drying system was the heat pump system working as a dehumidifier. The main component of this drying equipment included a compressor, a condenser, twin evaporators, and a fan. Two drying studies (denoted as trial 1 and trial 2) were conducted to assess the overall drying performance of this low temperature drying system. To calculate the drying efficiency, the total energy consumption was divided by the amount of water removal for each trial; the drying efficiency was reported in the form of Btu/lb of water removal. We also tested corn seed germination to determine if this drying process had an effect on seed germination performance. The drying efficiency results for trial 1 and 2 were 1036 Btu/lb water removal and 869 Btu/lb water removal, respectively; compared to other on-farm drying methods this drying system had fairly high drying efficiency. The germination test results showed that this drying system had no adverse effect on germination performance.

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