Gsi Group Corporation

David Wayne Morrison

John Michael Frankovich

Eugene B Pollock

Randy Sheley

Jared Becker

A grain dryer has a heated drying section with an upper plenum and a cooling section. A heater is positioned between the lower plenum and the upper plenum, wherein air is heated by the heater as air in the lower plenum is pulled through the heater and into the upper plenum. A fan takes a suction from a ductwork on the heated drying section to draw a vacuum in the upper and lower plenums. Grain enters the dryer and flows into the drying section where the grain is exposed to heated air being pulled from the upper plenum into the ductwork. Grain flows from the drying section into the cooling section where the grain is exposed to cooling air being pulled through outer walls of the cooling section into the lower plenum. Grain flows from the cooling section into the unloading section.

Vacuum cooled grain dryer

A grain drying tower comprises a heater and blower separating a heating plenum and a cooling plenum. The dryer is provided with a heat reclamation/heat recycling system and/or counter-flow cooling to reduce the energy requirements of the tower dryer. The heat reclamation system comprises a chamber external to the outer wall of the tower and which is and located at a point along the drying path. The bottom of the chamber is open to the atmosphere. Hot exhaust air enters the heat reclamation chamber at the top of the chamber and is drawn back into the tower by the blower as the exhaust air exits the open bottom of the chamber. In the counter-flow, the walls defining the grain path of the in the cooling section are not air permeable, and air is drawn into the cooling section through outer wall ducts which are closed at the inner wall. The entering air travels up through heated grain to be warmed, and then enters the plenum through inner wall ducts, which are closed at the outer wall of the tower.

Tower grain dryer with improved heat reclamation and counter-flow cooling section

A grain turner for turning grain in a drying tower includes opposed generally vertical side walls and a generally vertical dividing plate (which is shorter than the side walls) extending between the side walls; the dividing plate defining inner and an outer vertical channels in a portion of the turner. An inner inclined plate is pivotally connected to one side wall to be within the inner channel and an outer inclined plate is connected to the other side wall to be within the outer channel. The inclined plates are pivotal between a first position in which they are inclined downwardly in a opposite widthwise directions and a second position in which they are generally adjacent their respective side walls. The inclined plates have a length such that when they are in the first position, their lower edges are proximate a bottom of the divider plate. Further, the inner and outer inclined plates each define a curve such that when the inclined plates are in the raised position, the inner inclined plate directs grain from the inner channel to the space below outer channel and the outer inclined plate directs grain from the outer channel to the space below the inner channel.

Grain turner for tower grain dryer and method of drying

A combined plenum divider/hopper is provided for a grain drying tower. The divider/hopper is positioned in the drying tower proximate the heater for the drying tower and is operable to adjust the ratio of the length of the heating portion of the plenum to the length of the cooling portion of the plenum.

Adjustable divider/hopper for a grain tower dryer

A grain turner (101)of the present invention is adapted for use with a grain dryer having an inner dryer wall (7) and an outer dryer wall (9) spaced therefrom and defining a vertically extending grain path (11) therebetween. A grain turner (101) of the present invention is disposed within the grain path for exchanging (turning) grain from the inner portion of the grain path to the outer portion of the grain path and vice versa and for exchanging grain widthwise within the grain path. The grain turner comprises a vertical wall (109) disposed between the inner and outer dryer walls. The grain turner further has at least one pair inclined plates (119, 125) with one of the plates (119) being on the inside of the vertical wall and with the other of the inclined plates (125) being on the outside of the vertical wall. Plate (119) is inclined downwardly in a first widthwise direction and the other of the inclined plates is inclined downwardly in the opposite widthwise direction. The lower end of the first inclined plate (119) extends downwardly and outwardly so as to deliver grain flowing downwardly thereon to a location within the grain path substantially beneath the second inclined plate (125). The lower end of inclined plate (125) extends downwardly and inwardly so as to deliver grain to a location within the grain path substantially beneath the first inclined plate. In this manner, the grain flowing down the first inclined plate is turned from the inside to the outside of the grain path and the grain flowing down the second inclined plate is turned from the outside to the inside of the grain path. Further, the grain flowing down the inclined plates is rotated about a substantially vertical axis within the grain path so as to effect the widthwise exchange of grain from one width location to another as the grain is turned. A method of turning grain is also disclosed.

Grain turner for tower grain dryer and method

A metering unloader (101) for unloading a fluent material from a flow path (11) is disclosed. The flow path has a fluent material outlet (27). The metering unloader comprises an unloader body (103) having an outer cylindric wall (105) and an inner cylindric wall (107) spaced radially inwardly from the outer wall with the walls defining a chamber (126) therebetween. Means (117) is provided for rotating the unloader body about a vertical axis. Outer wall (105) has a fluent material inlet opening (119) such that with the fluent material inlet opening (119) in register with the flow path fluent material outlet (27), the fluent material will flow by gravity through the fluent material inlet opening (119) in the outer wall into the chamber (126). The inner wall (107) has a fluent material outlet opening (127) therein such that the fluent material in the chamber (126) will flow by gravity from the chamber to a fluent material discharge outlet (15). A gate (121) is mounted relative to the fluent material inlet opening (119) in the outer wall, and means (123) is provided for opening and closing the gate (119) thereby to regulate the flow of fluent material into the chamber (126) from the fluent material outlet (27) when the fluent material inlet opening (119) is in register therewith and to vary the rate at which the unloader (101) unloads the fluent material from the flow path.

Growing community of inventors

County of Macoupin, IL, United States of America

David Wayne Morrison