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| Grain dryer champions saving energy, money |
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CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — The concept of grain drying is nothing new. But when one comes along that can save a farmer $10,000 a year, it gets more attention that most.
“Energy saving” best describes the vacuum cool tower dryers manufactured by Mathews Co. of Crystal Lake, Ill. Last month, Keith Kemp of Preble County in Ohio exhibited Mathews’ Model 10630 dryer.
“True, the tower dryer principle is not new technology,” Mathews Regional Sales Manager Wes Peterson said. “It just hasn’t been brought to production agriculture.
“And the reason for that is because four to five years ago, energy was just 50 cents a therm (thm). And production agriculture is about getting the harvest out and moving the grain through the system. But we’ve been guilty of ignoring energy and we’ve ignored that for three decades. Energy is a major part of our lives.”
A single motor is the only movable part of this dryer system. Vacuum cooling is key to its operation. Reclaiming heated air from cooling the grain results in less fuel usage and significant savings. After blending with ambient air drawn from outside, the preheated air is returned to the blowers, lowering energy consumption and producing maximum efficiency.
According to Peterson, energy nowadays is approximately $2/thm.
“Grain drying methods that have been the norm for three decades may soon be too costly to dry an average crop in the fall,” The Ohio State University Extension Agent Roger Bender said. “What was an understandably simple cost of production just five years ago can now be the difference between profit and loss if rising fuel costs are ignored.”
There are six models of Mathews Co. tower dryers. The one used by Kemp (10630) stands 35-feet-8-inches, has a diameter of 10 feet and weighs in at 9,100 pounds. The bin holds 695 bushels and the tower operates on a 30-horsepower motor.
Kemp now has an energy efficient, high capacity (enough to unload a semi trailer in 15 minutes) grain handling system constructed with financial assistance from USDA’s Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvements grants program. The bin costs $250,000; according to Kemp, it will pay for itself in just three years.
“Vacuum-cooled grain drying has to be the greatest return on energy,” Kemp said. “In addition, it’s quiet, clean, efficient and there’s just one moving part in it. Farmers need to manage input costs, as fuel is a major issue today. We need to be conservative with its usage.
“And if there are those wanting to grow corn for ethanol purposes, those plants are demanding the best quality grains and this is the way to do it.”
This farm news was published in the April 16, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 4/16/2008 |
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