On The Go Combine Grain Dryer

On the go combine grain dryer COMBINES Accessories 10-6-1 Researchers at Agricultural Canada's research station in Quebec, Canada, have built an "on-the-go" combine grain dryer that makes use of combine exhaust heat. The prototype add-on unit is designed for a Deere 6600 powered by a 6-329 diesel and equipped with a 6-row crop head. The exchanger, which draws heat off the enginec captures 100% of the heat lost through the cooling fluid and radiation off the engine, and about 50% of the heat lost in the exhaust gas. Hot air from the engine is first mixed with recirculated air from the grain tank before entering a heating coil where coolant heat is drained off. Heated air is pulled out of the heating coil chamber into a crossflow tube which conveys it to the bottom of the grain tank. Thermostatically controlled air valves control the flow of air and keep the engine from overheating. According to Roger Chagnon, one of the engineers who worked on the project, the drying unit was designed to minimize interference with normal operations. It's positioned directlyover the storage tank. On the average, the on-the-go unit lowered grain moisture content about 1% during the time it was in the combine grain tank, and also raised the temperature of the grain which helped cut drying costs. It was used on both small grains and corn. "We have received no commercial inquiries so far. Estimated cost of a commercial unit would be about $4,000," says Chagnon. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roger Chagnon, Agriculture Canada, Research Station, P.O. Box 457, St. Jean sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada J3B 6Z8.

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