The professional conservation of products is essential to ensure their healthy and flawless quality. Besides an accurate cleaning and storage of the product it is further important to dry the products optimally.

In many parts of the world, the harvest has a moisture content of around 30%. Due to that fact, for the consumer it is important to dry the products gently and especially economically. The energy consumption of a dryer is a major cost factor. Therefore it is the duty of the company to check out the dryer and to minimize its energy consumption.

CONSUMERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF OPERATING COSTS In addition to the fixed costs of the plant and product-specific properties the costs mainly depend on the energy-efficient construction of the dryer.

The aim of any business is to achieve maximum profit. To maximize the success of the company, new investments should be calculated accurately. When purchasing a new plant for the customer the operating costs are very important because they are usually much higher than the first cost itself. A large proportion of these running costs must be spent especially for energy expenditure (see figure 1).

With the dryer types “Eco Dry” and “Eco Cool” Bühler offers its customers an efficient and especially energy-saving solution.

DRYER TYPE: ECO DRY Due to product flow separation (see figure 2) and an optimal arrangement of supply and exhaust air ducts (see figure 3) the uniformity of ventilation is ensured. The diagonal design of the ducts rows provides an absolutely uniform distribution of the air flow. The high absorption of moisture in the dryer exhaust air combined with an efficient heat insulation of the grain column itself lead to enormous savings in the generation of the drying air. Less air has to be heated and delivered. Any heat losses through the housing can also be reduced. Operating costs can be reduced and an absolutely stabil drying result can be obtained.

DRYER TYPE: ECO DRY AND ECO COOL To tap the full energy savings potential the “Eco Dry” and “Eco Cool” can be used together. Using the “Dry Aeration principle” it is possible to save up to 20% more energy. During the process the pre-dried material with a moisture content of 17% (non-cooled) leaves the dryer and enters the cooler. Here the corn is getting tempered for a long period and the water is expelled by the stored heat. By subsequent ventilation in the cooling zone the product ultimately loses the residual moisture content.

ENERGY SAVING DUE TO HEAT RECOVERY By recirculation the heated cooling air and the hot, non-saturated drying air the operating costs of the drying system can be reduced considerably. The size of the cooling zone is variable adjustable and can be adapted to the respective raw material. This flexibility also helps to optimize the drying process.

SUMMARY Due to continuous development and research, Bühler has improved the drying process significantly. Ongoing testing and measuring results in many countries all over the world ensure to optimize the energy efficiency of the dryer and to strengthen their competitiveness.

Due to the novel arrangement of the supply and exhaust air ducts, combined with the product flow separation, the drying process is fundamentally changed and the energy efficiency of the dryer can be increased.

INTERVIEW: With the dryer types “Eco Dry” and “Eco Cool” Bühler offers its customers an energy saving alternative.

Buying a dryer – What is important for customers? More important than the cost of the dryer itself, are the energy costs over the years. They consume a high percentage of the operating costs and are usually higher than the first cost at the beginning. For example, the air heating claimed around 92% of the running costs. Customers should always make sure to buy an energy-saving device.

Why are the dryer of Bühler more energy efficient than the drier of others? With the dryer types “Eco Dry” and “Eco Cool” we offer our customers an energy efficient solution. Compared to the competition, our products have less energy losses. Due to the efficient design, our customers can save around 75,000 € per year.