| Grain
New grain dryer control
system simplifies
harvest management
An automated control system helped Shropshire grower
Rob Timmis to more effectively manage his 35-tonne/hr
Kentra continuous flow dryer this year.
Rob Timmis: “I’m paranoid about avoiding moisture
deductions so having a control system that consistently
hits the target while reducing my workload and anxiety
is very welcome!”
he Dryer Master
management
system adjusts the
dryer as the
moisture content
of incoming grain
fluctuates through the day.
“However experienced you are
with a dryer, it’s a difficult thing to
manage, especially when there’s
so much else going on at harvest,”
says Rob Timmis. “There’s always
a temptation to keep fiddling, so
hitting the optimum is really quite
hard.
“And there’s always the
inclination to err on the side of
caution because there’s nothing
worse than having to put grain
through again when it’s half or one
percent over the contract terms.”
The Dryer Master controller
uses sophisticated temperature-
compensating sensors to
accurately measure crop moisture
content pre- and post-drying.
‘Intelligent’ algorithm software
automatically responds to any
changes to incoming moisture
levels or deviation from the set
point target to regulate the time
taken for grain to flow through the
dryer.
Barry Higginbottom of Kentra
Grain Systems says: “The aim is to
consistently hit an average grain
moisture target to avoid lost
income through over-drying, and
the risk of merchant deductions or
additional drying costs resulting
from under-drying.”
The system ‘learns’ the
performance characteristics of a
particular dryer during manual
operation, before it is given
control.
T
“Having seen how consistently
it can hit the target moisture I’m
confident enough to leave it in
control when running the dryer
overnight,” says Rob Timmis.
“Besides, I can always keep an
eye on things by remote access
on my iPad.”
The remote feature also gives
him the freedom to attend to
things away from the store during
the day, such as a machine
breakdown in the field.
It provides the same key
information as the Dryer Master
display, which is either built into
the existing dryer control cabinet
or is available as a self-contained
add-on for Kentra and other makes
of dryer already in service.
Selected settings can be
adjusted remotely and the dryer
can be stopped remotely too –
with elevators and conveyors
either shutting down shortly after
or continuing to run if drying is to
be resumed.
“We can keep the dryer working
at maximum capacity by easing
back the temperature when drier
grain starts coming in,” adds Rob
Timmis. “So apart from the added
flexibility in the way I use my time,
the Dryer Master enables me to
consistently hit moisture targets,
removes some element of anxiety
at harvest and is getting better
value out of our grain handling
and storage system as a whole.”
Kentra Grain Systems will
feature the Dryer Master system
on its stand at the CropTec event
being held at the East of England
Showground, Peterborough on
November 29/30.
22 | Farming Monthly | November 2017
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk