An improved grain dryer is presented having a mixed-flow heating section having a plurality of inlet ducts connected to the plenum that facilitate air flow into the grain column from the heated and pressurized heat plenum, and a plurality of exhaust ducts connected to openings in the exterior wall that facilitate air flow out of the grain column. Outer most ducts of the inlet and exhaust ducts, which are positioned closest to end walls of the grain column, are configured to reduce bridging or grain between the outer most ducts and the end walls of the grain column.

A conveyor having a conveyance structure, mixing components, belt, and gas manifold. The gas manifold disposed within or on an exterior portion of the structure. The gas manifold having one or more manifold outlet ports to dry, condition, or treat a metered stream of seed within the conveyor. The manifold may be operably connected to a recirculating air system providing the vacuum source and pressurized air source of atmospheric or conditioned air. A filter and vacuum port may extract debris or humidity from the metered stream of seed within the conveyor. A plurality of mixing baffles may be longitudinally spaced apart through the conveyor in a laterally alternating manner to mix the metered stream of seed. The conveyor may be used to transfer, mix, dry, condition and treat the metered stream of seed between multiple stages of treatment.

A portable system for monitoring and conditioning of agricultural assets in aerated storage bins. Sensor sticks combine rigid tubing with internal sensor cables to enable penetrative submersion of sensor nodes into an existing stored volume of grain. A control unit has input terminals for connection of sensor sticks and plenum sensors, and output terminals for connection of portable construction heaters, aeration fans and headspace exhaust fans. The terminals include multi-use terminals to which different sensor and equipment types are assignable to enable a variety of different operational scenarios with different quantities of bins, heaters, fans and sensor sticks. A headspace kit includes a fan unit mountable externally to the bin near ground level, and a flexible exhaust duct routable between the fan unit and a rooftop opening of the bin for fan driven evacuation of humid air from the headspace of the bin.

The disclosure provided herein is directed to a grain dryer, that dries grains such as soy, corn, rice, etc., that may comprise of three or more grain drying towers capable of being arranged in diverse geometric formats, for example, triangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc. The grain drying towers may comprise airducts arranged transversally in relation to each other and with each airduct containing multiple openings that may be arranged in each of its six faces. Faces of the airducts have interspaced openings where some regions of the airduct may or may not have an opening.

There is a grain aeration system for a grain bin. The system includes a gas entry duct configured to receive gas and a gas distribution pipe extending upwardly from the gas entry duct and having a height. The gas entry duct extends along a base of the grain bin. The gas distribution pipe includes a permeable section and an impermeable section. The permeable section includes a plurality of perforations. The permeable section is above the impermeable section. There is also a grain bin, having a surrounding wall and roof. There is a gas entry duct extending from outside the surrounding wall to inside the surrounding wall and a gas distribution pipe extending upward from the gas entry duct. The gas distribution pipe has a permeable section above an impermeable section.

An improved mixed flow grain dryer is presented having a grain column with upper, middle and lower drying sections. The system includes a set of plenums and ducts configured to move air through the middle and lower drying sections at one or more lower temperatures, recover the air moved through the middle and lower drying sections, and move the recovered air through the upper drying section at a higher temperature. The system is configured to move grain through the upper drying section, then through the middle drying section, then through the lower drying section, while also: moving air of one or more lower temperatures through lower drying section and middle drying section, combining air moved through lower drying section and middle drying section, and moving the combined air through the upper drying section at a higher temperature.

A heating apparatus for supplying heated air to a grain dryer or the like. The apparatus features a biomass furnace with a burn chamber for combustible biomass material, a chimney having a lower end in fluid communication with the burn chamber interior, and air ducting that has a fresh air inlet, an output end connected to the dryer, and directs heated exhaust air from the chimney to the dryer. An airflow control system is configured to both control airflow to the dryer through the air ducting, and control a temperature of said airflow by varying a ratio between the fresh ambient air and the heated exhaust air. The burn chamber has a chain gate with overbed and underbed circulation fans that generate airflow up through the chain grate, as well as tumbling air currents above the chain grate for thorough combustion and cleaner exhaust that won't contaminate the grain.

A heating apparatus for supplying heated air to a dryer for grain or other particulate materials. The apparatus features a biomass furnace with a burn chamber for combustible biomass material, a chimney having a lower end in fluid communication with the burn chamber interior, and air ducting that has a fresh air inlet, an output end connected or connectable to the dryer, and is in in fluid communication with the chimney to enable redirection of said heated exhaust air from the chimney to the dryer via the air ducting. An airflow control system is configured to both control airflow to the dryer through the air ducting, and control a temperature of said airflow by varying a ratio between the fresh ambient air and the heated exhaust air.

A post-harvest crop management platform is provided for regulating conditions of an agricultural crop being dried and/or stored. The platform utilizes data collected from sensors positioned proximate to, or embedded within, an agricultural crop, and analyzes selected crop characteristics affecting the stored crop in multiple sections thereof. The platform identifies parameters relative to achieving a desired crop characteristic level in the agricultural crop, generates a profile of the selected crop characteristic across the multiple sections of the stored crop, and models an application of a fluid flow pattern to achieve the desired crop characteristic level in each section. The crop storage monitoring and management platform also actuates a multi-stack assembly, configured within the stored crop, to automatically apply the fluid flow pattern in one or more cycles that are adjustable to changing conditions within the stored crop in real time. The crop storage monitoring and management platform further integrates with, and connects to and communicates with, other systems within an autonomous field activity ecosystem.

A grain drying apparatus configured to provide reduction of moisture of a grain disposed in a chamber thereof wherein the apparatus utilizes a photovoltaic power source. The present invention includes a housing having at least one wall, a bottom and a roof defining an interior volume. A heating chamber is present and is operable to provide heating of air for introduction into the grain drying apparatus. A heating coil assembly is operably coupled to the photovoltaic power source so as to provide heating of the air passing through the heating chamber. A first chamber is present wherein the first chamber is configured to receive grain therein. A second chamber is adjacent the first chamber and is operably coupled to the heating chamber. A void is present in the interior volume of the housing adjacent the second chamber. The wall intermediate the first and second chamber allows airflow therethrough.