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US 12,135,167 B2Granted
Grain drying auger and drum with air holes
AssigneeDryair Inc.
InventorsDavid Hulbert, Devon John McDonald
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In some embodiments, a grain drying apparatus may include a drum with a grain auger including a flighting with air holes. The drum may be surrounded by an outer drum, the inner drum including a plurality of drum air holes. A volume of dehydrated air may pass around a helical air diverter, located in an annulus between the inner drum and the outer drum, and through the grain, thereby drying the grain.
Claims20
A grain drying apparatus comprising:
- a drum having a drum grain inlet at a first end of the drum and a drum grain outlet at a second end of the drum;
- a grain auger inside the drum, the grain auger having a flighting supported by a shaft, wherein the flighting includes a plurality of air holes at the drum grain inlet;
- a ventilation network, including:
- a dehumidifying unit including a desiccant;
- a chiller;
- an intake;
- an exhaust;
- a fan in fluid communication with the dehumidifying unit, the chiller, the intake, and the exhaust;
- and
- a fluid path, wherein a flow of air flows along the fluid path from the fan, into the drum through the intake, and out of the drum through the exhaust, wherein the dehumidifying unit and the chiller are located on the fluid path between the fan and the intake.
7 more elements
A grain drying apparatus comprising:
- an inner drum having a drum grain inlet at a first end of the inner drum and a drum grain outlet at a second end of the inner drum, a wall of the inner drum including a plurality of drum air holes, wherein the inner drum includes a grain auger inside the inner drum, the grain auger having a flighting supported by a shaft;
- an outer drum surrounding the inner drum;
- a helical air diverter in an annulus between the inner drum and the outer drum;
- a ventilation network, including:
- a dehumidifying unit, wherein the dehumidifying unit includes a desiccant;
- a chiller;
- an intake;
- an exhaust;
- a fan in fluid communication with the dehumidifying unit, the chiller, the intake, and the exhaust;
- and
- a fluid path, wherein a flow of air flows along the fluid path from the fan, into the outer drum through the intake, and out of the inner drum through the exhaust, wherein the dehumidifying unit and the chiller are located on the fluid path between the fan and the intake.
8 more elements
A method for drying material comprising:
- loading material into a drum material inlet at a first end of a drum, the drum including an auger inside the drum, the auger including a shaft supporting a flighting;
- passing a volume of air through a dehumidifying unit and a chiller to an intake in the drum;
- creating a chilled and dehumidified volume of air, including:
- dehumidifying the volume of air in the dehumidifying unit, the dehumidifying unit including a desiccant;
- chilling the volume of air in the chiller to a temperature of less than 50° C. as measured at the intake;
- passing the chilled and dehumidified volume of air through the drum;
- moving the material through the drum to a drum material outlet at a second end of the drum by rotating a material auger;
- and
- exhausting the volume of air through an exhaust.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.