Systems and processes for determining drying times for granulate materials based on initial moisture content of the materials

A process for drying resin granulates, comprising:

• inputting at least some of the following information into a computing device:
• the type and/or grade of the resin granulates;
• a recommended drying air temperature;
• a moisture content at which the resin granulates become oversaturated and cannot be dried;
• a recommended drying time;
• a throughput of a resin dryer;
• a volume of the resin dryer;
• a target moisture content for the resin granulates;
• and
• a type of storage vessel in which the resin granulates are or have been held;
• measuring an intergranular humidity of the resin granulates before subjecting the resin granulates to heated and/or dehumidified process air within the resin dryer;
• calculating a moisture content in the resin granulates based at least in part on the measured intergranular humidity of the resin granulates;
• determining a targeted drying time based at least in part on a difference between the calculated moisture content of the resin granulates and the target moisture content for the resin granulates;
• introducing the resin granulates into the resin dryer;
• and
• subjecting the resin granulates to the process air for a time period approximately equal to the targeted drying time.