Battery Operated Paddy Dryer with

Humidity Level Sensor

by

Vladimer A. DelosReyes
Reihnier J. Navales
Armin Blaise P. Violago
ECE/2016

A Thesis Proposal Report Submitted to the School of EECE in Partial

Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering

Mapúa Institute of Technology

Drying of grain is very essential in the field of agriculture. Its very concept is to

determine the moisture content and the temperature of the grain, the (relative) humidity and the

velocity of the air in contact with the grain [1]. Given this conditions, it is very burdensome for

farmers if the temperature varies in accordance to climate. Nowadays, farmers are taken

advantage especially during the rainy seasons where crop drying is difficult. They are forced to

sell their wet crops at a lower price to private traders, cooperatives or grain processors [2].

According to statistics, when drying is delayed due to wet season, the value of the grain can

decrease by as much as 5% to 58% [2] which can be a great loss to farmers. With this arising

problem, the researchers aim to build an automated machine that can simulate the range of

temperature needed by the grain to retain the desired moisture content for good quality crops.

Based on the International Rice Research Institute, moisture content, relative humidity,

and temperature play important role in the quality of rice grains. [3] According to James

Thompson, the ideal moisture content of rice grain for safe storage is around 12.5% to 14%. [4]

Longer storage of grain will require lower moisture content. [4] Ondier, et. al suggested that

moisture content is dependent to temperature and relative humidity.[6] The drying duration

required attaining 12.5% moisture content at constant drying temperature and greater relative

humidity is longer. This shows that dehumidification of drying air has the potential of

significantly increasing the drying rate at relatively low-temperatures. [6] The design of the dryer

used for their study is mainly consisted of an air conditioning control unit and a chamber.

Bautista, et. al, conducted a study on flat bed dryer based rice hull furnace. [5]
Researches regarding efficient grain drying systems have already been conducted.

However, these systems are costly to implement in the Philippines because they were mostly fuel

operated. Moreover, the measure of relative humidity of air in the drying chamber is neglected.

The portability of the machine is also a challenge for indoor drying.

The main objective of this paper is to design a battery operated rice- grain dryer with

humidity level and temperature sensors. The dryer shall have the following components: (1) a

drying chamber to hold the grains, (2) a blower to force the drying air through the grains, (3) an

induction heater to heat the air, (4) a humidity level sensor to monitor the humidity inside the

drying chamber, and (5) a temperature control to maintain the chamber temperature to a desired

range.

The purpose of creating this grain dryer is to help lower, if not solve, the dilemmas

experienced by farmers caused by the hassle of grain drying. The study shall contribute in the

future development of the Philippine agricultural sector by providing innovations for efficient

farming. In addition, the research shall help improve the standard of living of local farmers by

creating an opportunity for a greater income and lastly, the study shall provide better alternative

to sustain whole year round rice production regardless of wet seasons.

suitable to use for other crops. The operation of the dryer will only be limited to 12.5% to 14%

moisture content to ensure good quality of the paddy. Moreover, the system is battery-operated,

which subjects it to limited working hours. Furthermore, the body of the dryer and its drying

chamber will be made of bamboo while the induction heater and blower will be made of metal.

The dryer will only be allotted one cavan of paddy to process for prototyping purposes and it

shall utilize HM1500LF transducer as its humidity sensor and LM74CIM as its temperature

sensor.
REFERENCES

[1] Department of Consumer Protection, “Drying Methods,” in Grain storage techniques:

Evolution and Trends in Developing Countries, Food and Agriculture Org, 1994, ch.5.

[2] A. Chupungco, E. Dumayas, and J. Mullen, “Two-stage Grain Drying in the Philippines,”

ACIAR Impact Assessment Series Report No. 59, pp.50, 2008.

[3] Paddy Drying, ed. 2, IRRI, Philippines, 2013, pp. 12- 38.

[4] J. Thompson, “Principles of Rice Drying,” June 1998.

[5] E.U. Bautista, R.E. Aldas, and E.C. Gagelonia, “Rice Hull Furnaces for Paddy Drying: the

Philippine Rice Research Institute's Experience,” presented at Grain drying in Asia : proceedings

of an international conference held at the FAO for Asia and the Pacific Regional Office,

Bangkok, Thailand, 17- 20 October 1995.

[6] G. Ondier, T. Siebenmorgen, and A. Mauromoustakos, “Low-temperature, Low-relative

Humidity Drying of Rough Rice,” in Journal of Food Enginnering, USA, Elsevier Ltd., 2010,

pp. 545- 550.

Grain drying system with high efficiency dehumidifier and modular

drying bin

US 6209223 B1

ABSTRACT

This invention is a new, energy efficient, environmentally clean grain drying system which

consists of two main parts: a hot drying air generator and a modular, portable drying bin. One

novel aspect of the air generator is the introduction of a heat pipe design which enhances the

efficiency of a dehumidifier heat pump, making its use economically feasible, especially for

humid climates. Another novel aspect is the use of advanced burners incorporating antipollution

devices. The hot air generator can operate on many sources of energy such as electricity;

gasoline; diesel; biomass such as wood, charcoal, or rice husks; or even solar energy. The

modular bin is made of several modules which can be disassembled, transported, and

reassembled with great ease. The bin design also creates a very low air pressure drop, allowing

substantial savings on blower energy. The complete system will offer great benefits for

developing countries that are producers of rice, especially for those with humid climates. With

this advanced dryer system, the small producers of rice located far from means of transportation

can preserve their harvest and offer higher quality products at a lower production cost.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a grain drying system, and particularly to a rice drying

system comprising a hot air generating source, such as a high-efficiency dehumidifier or a fuel

burner, and a modular drying bin which can be easily disassembled and reassembled for ease of

transportation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drying of freshly harvested paddy rice is essential to insure its conservation. Typically,

paddy rice is harvested between 20% and 30% moisture content and good conservation requires

less than 14%. Paddy rice is traditionally dried under the sun. This method, although low in cost,

has many deficiencies. Sun drying is difficult to control, drying is not even between the top layer

and the bottom layer, and rain can ruin exposed grains. Birds, rodents and insects can also

substantially damage a harvest. Drying paddy rice in humid climates is especially difficult during

the rainy season because the ambient air is already wet, and the rice will not dry unless heated to

high temperatures which can damage the quality of the rice as well as reduce the

whole grain yield.

The need for better quality finished rice has called for better methods of drying. The

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and other institutions have studied methods of

drying paddy rice based on hot air and given recommendations for optimum conditions of

temperature, humidity, flow rates, and time of drying. In short, these conditions can be

summarized as follows: lower temperatures are generally better, and the temperature should be

kept below 45-50 degrees C.; relative humidity of the drying air should be low enough to insure
efficient drying; the air flow rate must be high enough to insure drying throughout the whole

mass of the grains; and drying rates of about 2% to 3% moisture reduction per hour are best

because faster drying could make the grainbrittle.

Until now, the majority of rice dryers relied on the heating of ambient air, with heat sources such

as an oil or a coal burner, and the blowing of the hot air into a drying bin containing the

paddy rice. This principle is quite appropriate in dry climates, but deficient in humid climates

because the ambient air contains high levels of moisture and can only provide marginal drying

capacity. Therefore, high temperatures (as high as 60 degrees C.) are used to the detriment

of rice quality, and long hours of drying result in high energy costs.

Several types of drying bins are now used. Two of them are quite common in Asia: flat bed

dryers and tower dryers. Flat bed dryers are made of a large surface chamber with a perforated

floor located about half way up in the chamber, creating a bottom air plenum and a grain storage

chamber on top. Hot air is blown into the bottom chamber and admitted into the grain storage

chamber through the perforated floor. Although very simple, the flat bed dryers do not provide

even drying; the bottom layer dries faster than the top layer. Even drying requires labor intensive

and health-hazardous manual turning over, a task which exposes workers to hot, humid air as

well as harsh, silicon-rich grain dust.

Another system is the tower dryer, consisting of a tall tower in which grain is fed at the top and

allowed to fall to the bottom, while hot air is blown upwards in a counter flow fashion. In a

tower dryer, grain does not dry in one pass, but must be recirculated several times, requiring

mechanical devices such as a bucket elevator. Because of their complexity, the tower dryers are

more expensive and can only be economical in larger capacities. Both of the above dryer systems
are very difficult to move, because they are fairly large and require a prepared fixed surface. The

flat bed system dries grains in thin layers (typically less than 25 cm) and therefore requires a

large surface. The tower dryer, as the name indicates, is usually very tall (on the order of 10

meters) and includes complicated grain conveying devices such as bucket elevators.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a grain drying system which can

overcome the above mentioned drawbacks. While the system may be used with any grain, bean,

seed, kernel, or similar product, the preferred embodiment is specially designed for use with rice.

This invention is a new, energy efficient, environmentally clean grain drying system which

consists of two main parts: a hot drying air generator and a modular, portable drying bin. The hot

drying air generator is capable of providing drying air at relatively high air pressure and volume.

The drying air can be produced by direct heating, indirect heating or by the use of a heat pump or

a dehumidifier. Such a hot air generator can use, for example, fossil fuels, biomass, electricity, or

solar energy as a power source.

One novel aspect of the air generator is the introduction of a heat pipe design which enhances the

efficiency of a dehumidifier heat pump, making its use economically feasible, especially for

humid climates. Another novel aspect is the use of advanced burners incorporating antipollution

devices. The hot air generator can operate on many sources of energy such as electricity;

gasoline; diesel; biomass such as wood, charcoal, or rice husks; or even solar energy.

The rice drying system of the present invention includes a modular bin made of several modules

which can be disassembled for ease of transportation and reassembled at the site of use together
without tools. The bin design also creates a very low air pressure drop, allowing substantial

savings on blower energy.

The complete system, comprising a drying air generator and a modular bin, will offer great

benefits for developing countries that are producers of rice, especially for those with humid

climates. With this advanced dryer system, the small producers of rice located far from means of

transportation can preserve their harvest and offer higher quality products at a lower production

cost.