KERNEL DRYING
Typical examples Initial kernel
Moisture at 14%
(a) Mill Throughput 60
(b) Kernel Extraction rate 7.00%
(c) Initial kernel moisture content 14.00%
(d) Maximum allowable moisture content of production kernel 7%
(e) Ambient air temperature inside mill building 30
(f) Relative humidity of ambient air 80%
(g) Temperature of heated air 75
(h) Relative humidity of silo/dryer exit air 90%
Quantity of kernel 4,200
Difference in moisture content 7.0%
Moisture to be removed 294
From Psychrometric Chart:
Moisture content of ambient air 19
Moisture content of exit air 37
Moisture absorption by air 18
Quantity of air required 16,333
Density of Air at 75°C (assume heater is upstream of fan and refer density chart) 1.01
Volume of air at 75°C 16,172
Volume of air per second at 75°C, q 4.49
Using a design factor of 1.25
Volume of air per second used for design at 75°C q= 5.62
Heat required H = p x r x cp (t2-t1) kW
Density of air at ambient temperature and pressure r = 1.2
Specific heat of air at constant pressure cp = 1
Difference in air temperature (t2-t1)= 75 - 30 45
Heat required H=q x r x cp x (t2-t1) 303
Pressure of heating steam say taken as: 40
Latent heat (heat of vapourisation) of steam at 40 psig (approx. 54.7psia or 3.6bar) 2,140
Therefore steam requirement = (kW x 3600)/Latent Heat 510
Note:
Distribution of air and steam to the silo/dryer depends on the actual number of silos/dryers used which can be computed b
(a) Typical retention tiime for vertical silo between 12 - 16 hours
(b) Typical retention tiime for tray dryer between 4 - 6 hours (depends on conveying speed)
The above examples illustrate the large potential fluctuation, e.g. when initial moisture increased to 18% the change
in moisture content is slightly over 28% but the increase in moisture to be removed & thus the air & steam requirement is
This also applies to the exit air conditions. The above example uses an RH of 90. In practice this could be lower dependin
on silo/dryer design, in particularly the tray dryer which could be in the region of 80%.
Fine tuning needed for actual plant design by measuring the RH of the plant using a Wet and Dry Bulb Thermometer
For the selection of the heat exchanger, it is best to consult the supplier or base on the heater selection manual as each h
selection criteria and approach due to differences in heat transfer efficiency.
Initial kernel Initial kernel
Moisture at 14% Moisture at 18%
tonnes/hr 60 tonnes/hr
7.00%
18.00%
7%
°C 30 °C
80%
°C 75 °C
90%
kg/hr 4,200 kg/hr
11.0%
kg/hr 462 kg/hr
gm/kg air 19 gm/kg air
gm/kg air 37 gm/kg air
gm/kg air 18 gm/kg air
kg/hr 25,667 kg/hr
kg/m3 1.01 kg/m3
m3 /hr 25,413 m3 /hr
m3 /sec 7.06 m3 /sec
1.25
m3 /sec 8.82 m3 /sec
kg/m3 1.2 kg/m3
1
°C 45 °C
kW 476 kW
psig 40 psig
kj/kg 2,140 kj/kg
kg/hr 802 kg/hr
rs used which can be computed based on:
creased to 18% the change
s the air & steam requirement is over 57%!
tice this could be lower depending
and Dry Bulb Thermometer
eater selection manual as each has its own
Psychrometric Ch
0 20 40 60
Enthalpy Line
Kcal/kg Air
160
140
120
Temperature °C
100
80 B
60 60
40 C 40
30 A
20 20
19 37
0 20 40 60
Moisture Grams/K
hrometric Chart
80 100 120 140 160
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
100
Enthalpy Line
Kcal/kg Air
Enthalpy Line
80 Kcal/kg Air
Vapour Pressure kg/m2
60
2000
1000
80 100 120 140 160
Moisture Grams/Kg Air
