Intergranular Air Movement and Grain Drying in Silos with Fully, Partially and Slanted Perforated Floor

Abstract

ABSTRACT Intergranular air movement and its relation with moving drying fmnt in a grain bulk were investigated experimentally. An improved computer simulation model was developed to analyze the drying or cooling process in a bed of grain with non-parallel airflow from a partially or slanted perforated floor. The model first simulates the airflow, then calc lates the heat and mass transfer between air and grain along the airflow streamlines. The results were compared with the simulated and experimental results from a fully perforated floor configuration. The degree of agreement between the computed and the experimental moisture contents depended upon the floor configuration. The model was not capable of predicting the temperatures to the accuracy of the predicted moisture contents, especially when airflow stream lines were not parallel to each other. For further improvement of the drying simulation model, an improved airflow model and computer program is required. Comparison of the simulated results with e...