Use of biomass furnace for direct air-drying of grain and other particulate

In combination with a dryer for particulate materials, a heating apparatus comprising:

• a biomass furnace comprising a burn chamber having an interior space in which combustible biomass material is receivable and combustible to generate heat;
• and
• a chimney attached to the furnace and having a lower end in fluid communication with the interior space of the burn chamber, and an opposing upper end situated in elevated relation to the lower end and outside the furnace to enable release of heated exhaust air from the burn chamber to a surrounding ambient environment;
• air ducting having a fresh air inlet in fluid communication with the surrounding ambient environment to admit fresh ambient air therefrom, and an output end connected or connectable to the dryer, said air ducting being in fluid communication with the chimney for routing of said heated exhaust air from the chimney to the dryer via said air ducting;
• and
• an airflow control system configured to both control airflow to the dryer through said air ducting, and control a temperature of said airflow by varying a ratio of said fresh ambient air to said heated exhaust air within said airflow;
• wherein the output end of said air ducting is connected to the grain dryer at an air intake thereof that is in fluid communication with an internal grain space of the dryer to which grain is introduced for drying, whereby the airflow from the biomass furnace is fed into said internal grain space for direct drying of the grain by permeation of said airflow through the grain.

A heating apparatus for supplying heated air to a dryer for particulate materials, said heating apparatus comprising:

• a biomass furnace comprising a burn chamber having an interior space in which combustible biomass material is receivable and combustible to generate heat;
• and
• a chimney attached to the furnace and having a lower end in fluid communication with the interior space of the burn chamber, and an opposing upper end situated in elevated relation to the lower end and outside the furnace to enable release of heated exhaust air from the burn chamber to a surrounding ambient environment;
• air ducting having a fresh air inlet in fluid communication with the surrounding ambient environment to admit fresh ambient air therefrom, and an output end connected or connectable to the dryer, said air ducting intersecting the chimney at a location between the upper and lower ends thereof to enable redirection of said heated exhaust air from the chimney to the dryer via said air ducting;
• and
• an airflow control system configured to both control airflow to the dryer through said air ducting, and control a temperature of said airflow by varying a ratio of said fresh ambient air to said heated exhaust air within said airflow.