A process for drying polymeric granular material (2) comprises the steps of: —introducing into said drying hopper (10) a process gas having a predefined flow rate so as to heat and dry the polymeric granular material, —discharging a portion of the heated polymeric granular material into a transformation unit (100) for the polymeric material; —loading an amount of fresh polymeric granular material (2a) into the drying hopper. The process gas flow rate is regulated by measuring the inlet temperature of the fresh polymeric granular material (2a) and comparing it with a predefined inlet temperature of the fresh polymeric granular material, on the basis of which the predefined process gas flow rate has been calculated. If the measured inlet temperature is different from the predefined inlet temperature, the flow rate of the process gas is regulated on the basis of the measured inlet temperature.

A grain tower, including a silo; a false bottom including alternating upward slanted portions and downward slanted portions; a plurality of ventilation openings adapted to allow air to pass through, but not grain to pass through; and a plurality of extraction openings adapted to extract grain from the silo.

Grain flow paths have an upper portion which is a mixed flow portion and which includes a preheat zone and a lower portion which is an undulating moisture equalizer portion and which includes a heat zone. Mixed flow grain diverters extend across the grain flow path substantially perpendicular to longitudinal side walls, and substantially parallel to transverse end walls of the grain flow path. Upper airflow openings are associated with each of the upper diverters. Moisture equalizer lower grain diverters extend along the longitudinal sides grain flow path substantially parallel to the longitudinal side walls, and substantially perpendicular to the transverse end walls of the grain flow path. The burner is positioned outside the airflow path to feed ambient air into the recirculating airflow path, without recirculating airflow passing through the burner.

Disclosed is an IoT-based system for overseeing process control and predictive maintenance of a machine or a network of machines by employing machine wearable sensors. The system comprises a plurality of IR temperature sensors, each of which secured to the exterior of the machine; each IR sensor capable of transmitting captured temperature data wirelessly over a communications network, an algorithm engine capable of receiving data from the IR sensors, the algorithm engine for further processing the received data to recognize real-time temperature patterns, deviations, etc., and based on the same issuing control commands pertaining to the machine, and one or more control modules disposed in operative communication with the control panel of the machine, the control module capable of receiving, over a communications network, the control commands and executing the same resulting in accomplishing process control or predictive maintenance of the machine or both.

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.

The present invention provides grain-drying facilities which can effectively use the heat energy of biomass combustion hot-air that has been generated in a biomass combustion furnace. The grain-drying facilities 1 include: a biomass combustion furnace 3 provided with a heat exchanger 24 for generating a hot air from a combustion heat of a biomass fuel and an outside air which has been taken in from the outside; and a circulation type grain-drying apparatus 2 provided with a grain-drying portion 7 to which the hot air that has been generated in the biomass combustion furnace 3 is supplied through a pipe 15 for supplying a hot air, wherein the circulation type grain-drying apparatus 2 has a plurality of warming pipes 6a in the grain-drying portion 7, and an exhaust hot-air is supplied to the warming pipes 6a from the biomass combustion furnace 3 through a pipe 11 for supplying the exhaust hot-air.

Method and apparatus for hot air drying granular polymeric resin material records heating air temperature at a heating air outlet, computes air flow rate through a hopper, maintains desired throughput of granular material being dried in the hopper until heating air outlet temperature is stable, and thereafter maintains air flow rate through the hopper and monitors that air flow rate to adjust the air flow rate to maintain a computed preferred air flow rate through the heating hopper.

Method and apparatus for hot air drying granular polymeric resin material records heating air temperature at a heating air outlet, computes air flow rate through a hopper, maintains desired throughput of granular material being dried in the hopper until heating air outlet temperature is stable, and thereafter maintains air flow rate through the hopper and monitors that air flow rate to adjust the air flow rate to maintain a computed preferred air flow rate through the heating hopper.

Processes for drying gel particles, in particular for producing aerogels, involve providing a suspension containing gel particles and a solvent, introducing the suspension into a column where carbon dioxide flows in countercurrent, and removing dried aerogel particles from the column. The suspension is introduced in the top region of the column and dried aerogel particles are removed in the lower region. Pressure and temperature in the column are set such that the mixture of carbon dioxide and solvent is virtually supercritical or is supercritical. The aerogel particles can be discharged via discharge vessels or continuous decompression. Aerogel particles can be obtained by such a process and the aerogel particles can be used for medical and pharmaceutical applications, as additive or carrier material for additives for foods, as catalyst support, for cosmetic, hygiene, washing and cleaning applications, for production of sensors, for thermal insulation, or as a core material for VIPs.

Processes for drying gel particles, in particular for producing aerogels, involve providing a suspension containing gel particles and a solvent, introducing the suspension into a column where carbon dioxide flows in countercurrent, and removing dried aerogel particles from the column. The suspension is introduced in the top region of the column and dried aerogel particles are removed in the lower region. Pressure and temperature in the column are set such that the mixture of carbon dioxide and solvent is virtually supercritical or is supercritical. The aerogel particles can be discharged via discharge vessels or continuous decompression. Aerogel particles can be obtained by such a process and the aerogel particles can be used for medical and pharmaceutical applications, as additive or carrier material for additives for foods, as catalyst support, for cosmetic, hygiene, washing and cleaning applications, for production of sensors, for thermal insulation, or as a core material for VIPs.