Investigation of grain mass flow in a mixed flow dryer--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Weigler, F., & Mellmann, J. (2014). Investigation of grain mass flow in a mixed flow dryer. Particuology, 12, 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2013.04.004

Fabian Weigler^*, Jochen Mellmann

Department of Post-harvest Technology, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim, Potsdam 14469, Germany

10.1016/j.partic.2013.04.004

Volume 12, February 2014, Pages 33-39

Received 30 November 2012, Revised 22 March 2013, Accepted 10 April 2013, Available online 15 June 2013.

E-mail: fweigler@atb-potsdam.de

Highlights

• Experiments and 2D DEM simulation of grain mass flow in mixed flow dryer were conducted.

• Results showed that DEM can predict the main features of grain flow.

• Particle channeling and non-uniform particle residence time in conventional MFD were identified.

Abstract

The numerical modeling of grain drying is a topic of great relevance to post-harvest engineering. The required type of drying process depends on the quantity of grain to be dried and the required quality of the grain. The choice of the drying system depends on the operating parameters of the drying process. The granular flow pattern of the material exerts a significant influence on the drying process. Post-harvest drying of grain is essential for better storage, handling, and processing. Therefore, it is important to know the material behavior that controls the particle flow patterns of grain in the drying equipment to guarantee the product quality and to optimize the drying process conditions. The discrete element method (DEM) was applied to investigate the particle flow pattern of wheat through a mixed-flow dryer (MFD) without airflow, and the findings were compared with experimental results in this work. The investigations were performed using dry wheat with 14 wb% moisture content.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Mixed-flow dryer; Grain mass flow; Discrete element method

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