Abstract
In response to the interest expressed by farmers in drying large round bales of hay over ductwork using ambient air, a system capable of drying 84 soft-center bales at a time was designed and built. Each bale was capped with 6 mil polyethylene film to provide protection from rain and to minimize channeling of air through the bale’s soft center. Thermocouples placed in various locations in bales showed that the air flow was sufficient to maintain bale temperatures very close to ambient. Core samples showed satisfactory drying occurring in the dense annulus of the bales. Final moisture content of the bales ranged from 14%-18% (wb). This study shows that it is both technically and economically feasible to dry large round bales of good quality hay using ambient air and the drier system described here.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
