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

• US 7,856,737 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mathews, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mathews, Inc.
• Inventors: McMahon, Robert James Jr., Kroeker, Kenneth William
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/897,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20090056162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 345/11, 345/73, 345/75, 714/6, 714/14, 110/187, 432/254, 392/486, 239/69.63, 48/61, 700/166, 700/271, 219/121.63, 454/180
• 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, 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.

2. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a microprocessor using a shift registry accumulating and processing data to arrive at an accurate flow rate.

3. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, wherein the first 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 1, wherein the first 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 1, 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 1, 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, wherein the energy regulator supplies energy to the dryer, and the energy regulator is operatively connected to the controller.

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

12. The apparatus for reducing a moisture content of an agricultural product of claim 1, wherein the second temperature sensor comprises a protected thermistor exposed to the agricultural product flowing through the drying chamber.