ANALYZING THE HOMOGENEITY IN THE REDUCTION OF WATER CONTENT DURING THE DRYING PROCESS OF GRAINS USING A FLATBED DRYER MACHINE EQUIPPED WITH A STIRRING MECHANIZATION SYSTEM

Abstract

Uneven drying is a prominent problem in the performance of Flatbed type grain dryer. An effort to move around the materials during the drying process is needed in order to get a uniformed drying rate. This paper investigates the conditions of an evenly distributed reduction of materials' water content during drying, using a flatbed dryer and a stirring mechanization system. It is found that ≥ 4rpm stirring rotation produces a relatively even drying result after 1 hour, and that there exists a second airflow that leaked due to the stirring process moving around with the motion of the stirrer.