Apparatus and method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product

• US 20090056162A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mathews, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mathews, Inc.
• Inventors: McMahon, Robert James JR., Kroeker, Kenneth William
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/511
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 17/12 with movement performed solely by gravity , i.e. the material moving through a substantially vertical drying enclosure, e.g. shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 25/22 Controlling the drying process in dependence on liquid content of solid materials or objects

Abstract

This invention relates to an apparatus and a method that reduces a moisture content of an agricultural product, particularly by using moisture sensors and/or temperature sensors. The apparatus includes at least one moisture sensor, optionally at least one temperature sensor, a controller, a flow regulator and/or a dryer. The method includes obtaining a moisture content and a temperature to calculate a product flowrate and optionally an energy input. A product flowrate signal is used to vary the flow regulator and an energy input signal is used to vary the energy regulator.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product, the apparatus comprising:

a dryer passing the agricultural product through a drying chamber;

a flow regulator varying a flow of the agricultural product through the drying chamber;

a moisture sensor exposed to the agricultural product passing through the drying chamber; and

a controller operatively connected with respect to the flow regulator and the moisture sensor, and the controller determining a product flowrate as a function of the moisture content.

2. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor exposed to the agricultural product passing through the drying chamber, and the controller determining the product flowrate as a further function of a temperature of the agricultural product.

3. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, wherein the moisture sensor comprises a planar capacitance meter exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the drying chamber.

4. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 2, wherein the temperature sensor comprises a protected thermistor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the drying chamber.

5. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, further comprising an input calibrating at least one of the controller and the moisture sensor with respect to the moisture content of the agricultural product.

6. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, wherein the dryer comprises multiple zones arranged in a concurrent configuration.

7. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, wherein the flow regulator comprises a variable flow metering device feeding the agricultural product through the drying chamber.

8. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 2, wherein at least one of the moisture sensor and the temperature sensor each is exposed to a dryer inlet.

9. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 2, wherein at least one of the moisture sensor and the temperature sensor each is exposed to a dryer outlet.

10. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, further comprising an energy regulator supplying energy to the dryer, and the energy regulator operatively connected to the controller.

11. An apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product, the apparatus comprising:

a dryer passing the agricultural product through a drying chamber, the drying chamber having an inlet and an outlet;

a flow regulator varying a flow of the agricultural product through the drying chamber;

a first moisture sensor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the inlet and obtaining an inlet moisture content;

a first temperature sensor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the inlet and obtaining an inlet temperature;

a second moisture sensor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the outlet and obtaining an outlet moisture content;

a second temperature sensor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the outlet and obtaining an outlet temperature;

an energy regulator in combination with the dryer, the energy regulator varying an output of an energy source; and

a controller operatively connected with the flow regulator, the first moisture sensor, the first temperature sensor, the second moisture sensor, the second temperature sensor and the energy regulator, the controller determining a product flowrate as a function of the inlet moisture content, the inlet temperature, the outlet moisture content, the outlet temperature and an energy input, and the controller determining the energy input as a function of the inlet moisture content, the inlet temperature, the outlet moisture content, the outlet temperature and the product flowrate.

12. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 11, wherein the controller 36 comprises a microprocessor using a shift registry accumulating and processing data to arrive at an accurate flow rate.

13. A method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product, the method comprising:

obtaining the moisture content with a moisture sensor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through a drying chamber, operatively connecting the moisture sensor to a controller;

obtaining a temperature with a temperature sensor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the drying chamber, operatively connecting the temperature sensor to the controller;

determining with the controller a product flowrate as a function of the moisture content and the temperature;

varying a flowrate of the agricultural product through the drying chamber with a flow regulator operatively connecting to the controller; and

drying the agricultural product in a dryer through which the agricultural product passes.

14. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 13, wherein the agricultural product is selected from the group consisting of wheat, rice, corn, rapeseed, canola, soybeans, barley, oats, rye, sorghum, millet, associated hybrids thereof and combinations thereof.

15. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 13, wherein the moisture content and the temperature are obtained at drying chamber inlet.

16. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 13, wherein the moisture content and the temperature are obtained at a drying chamber outlet.

17. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining a second moisture content with a second moisture sensor operatively connecting to the controller and exposed to the agricultural product flowing through a drying chamber outlet;

obtaining a second temperature with a second temperature sensor operatively connecting to the controller and exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the drying chamber outlet; and

determining the product flowrate with the controller as a further function of the second moisture content and the second temperature.

18. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 13, further comprising calibrating with an input at least one of the controller and the moisture sensor as a function of the moisture content of the agricultural product.

19. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 13, further comprising manually operating at least one of the controller and the flow regulator during a dryer initialization.

20. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 13, further comprising:

determining with the controller an energy input as a function of the moisture content, the temperature and the product flowrate; and

varying an output of a dryer energy source based on the energy input with an energy regulator operatively connecting to the controller.

21. The method for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 17, further comprising displaying on a screen information selected from the group consisting of an inlet moisture content, an inlet temperature, an outlet moisture content, an outlet temperature, an input calibration moisture content, a product flowrate, a dryer plenum temperature, an amount of moisture removed and combinations thereof.