Solar Grain Dryer Makes US Debut

Solar Grain Dryer Makes US Debut ENERGY Solar 21-6-25 "With a conventional grain dryer, you start spending more money as soon as it's installed. With ours, you start saving money as soon as it's up and running," says Dale Peasley about his company's solar grain drying system. The system was unveiled in the U.S. for the first time at the recent Big Iron Show in Fargo, N. Dak. It consists of an all-plastic, inflatable solar collector, tie downs, 25 ft. of flexible duct and adapters for virtually any existing aeration fan. You simply connect the inlet side of the dryer up to the pressure side of the fan and the outlet tube to the intake side of the fan. Air pressure moves air through the solar col-lector and into the bin. The solar heater can increase air temperature by as much as 27 degrees F on a sunny day, while humidity can be decreased by as much as 50 percent. The system produces from 40,000 to 200,000 BTU's per hour, de-pending on sun intensity and airflow. Compared with natural air drying alone, dry-down time can be reduced by as much as 30 percent with use of the collector, Peasley notes. The only moving part on the system is a pressure relief manifold which installs on the duct from the fan to prevent overinflating the collector. The system is available in two sizes - 12 by 24-ft. for up to 3 1/2 hp fans and 12 by 48-ft. for fans up to 7 1/2 hp. Sells for $419 and $579 (U.S.), respectively. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Delmas Manufacturing Ltd., Box 500, Delmas, Sask. Canada SOM OPO (ph 306 445-5562; fax 9842).

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