This invention in the field of grain drying, along with other particulates, provides an apparatus which dehumidifies air, then heats the air to relative low drying temperatures (95-160 Deg. F.), provides the dehumidified, heated air as process air to a system which uses the airflow as a transport method to fluidize the particulate matter and move the mixed process air and particles through a process column for drying. Once a particle reaches a designed moisture level, its mass will have been reduced, and that effect plus the velocity of the process air in the column will float the dried particle up and out of the column for further handling.

The present disclosure relates to a drying apparatus for a powder raw material for manufacturing a secondary cell with an electric heater. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of independently controlled heaters are mounted on a main body of an apparatus in which a plurality of heating regions are defined, and the temperature deviation of the internal chamber can reduce by providing the amount of heat supplied to each heating region through the control of the plurality of heaters. The main body of the apparatus includes a cylindrical portion in which the powder raw material is accommodated and sidewalls on both sides of the cylindrical portion, and by installing heaters on the cylindrical portion and the sidewalls, respectively, the entire region defining the main body of the apparatus can be evenly heated.

Potentially off-grid grain conditioners that can be operably connected to an aeration grain bin or silo to blow heated air through the crop to dry the crop or to blow ambient temperature air through the crop to cool it are disclosed. A fan is powered by a motor that may be mounted inside the air stream to allow the heat from the motor to be collected and forced into the airstream that is blown into the grain bin. The engine exhaust may be routed through an air exchanger to remove heat from the exhaust and direct heat into the grain bin, or the exhaust may be put into the atmosphere without capturing any of the heat, which allows the fan to operate in a cooling mode. The motor may be mounted inline or mounted to the side for a centrifugal aeration fan.

Drying of newly harvested grain wherein the grain has a preferred market moisture content target and the grain is heated and dried to within about four percent above the target and discharged at about 110° F. Thereafter, the grain is cooled to ambient by circulating ambient air at preferably one third of a cubic foot per minute per bushel through the grain thereby removing about two percent additional moisture. When required the grain is further dried to target moisture utilizing an equilibrium moisture process.

A system for drying grain in a storage bin, having an air injector for injecting external air into the bin interior to displace moist warm air toward an air extractor and the air extractor for extracting moist warm air from the bin interior and directing it outside the bin.

A grain bypass can be retrofit to an out auger of a grain bin. This allows for the transfer of grain, such as corn, from the grain bin to a portable auger and/or truck or other type of transfer vehicle. The grain bypass can be configured to instead divert grain down a second bypass path so as to substantially cleanout the grain bypass housing. The grain bypass includes a slide that can be inserted into the grain bypass in two separate positions so that the slide can always be contained within the system, and thus remain with the system at all times.

A drying hopper for drying granular material includes a hopper casing defining a plenum chamber for granular material, and an upper part and a bottom part. The hopper also includes a material inlet for the granular material arranged in the upper part; a material outlet port at the bottom part; a component for introducing hot drying gas into the hopper casing; and a gas outlet arranged in the upper part. The component for introducing hot drying gas includes gas pipes arranged to extend substantially vertically in the upper part, each gas pipe having a gas outlet port at its lower end and being connected at its upper end to an annular gas duct having a gas inlet for receiving a flow of drying gas, the gas pipes being distributed on the annular gas duct.

An assembly for saturating or aerating a medium with fluid. At least one hollow cylinder having gates and vents embedded within a grain mass. A target section of grain mass is identified and the gates and vents activated to provide influent flow to the target section in both vertical and horizontal directions.

A locking device for preventing freewheeling of an aeration fan rotor. The locking device comprises an elongated body having a predetermined length. The elongated body is adapted for being disposed through an opening of a fan housing containing the aeration fan rotor therein such that in a first position a first end portion of the elongated body is enabled to interact with the aeration fan rotor for preventing freewheeling of the aeration fan rotor and a second opposite end portion of the elongated body is placed outside the fan housing. The locking device further comprises means for holding the elongated body in the first position and a second position such that in the second position the first end portion of the elongated body is prevented from interacting with the aeration fan rotor.

An assembly for saturating or aerating a medium with fluid. At least one hollow cylinder having gates and vents embedded within a grain mass. A target section of grain mass is identified and the gates and vents activated to provide influent flow to the target section in both vertical and horizontal directions.