Installations & Products

Container Drying

Safe time and energy by container drying with the optimized Agratechniek Drying Principles

Efficient drying at a large scale

Significant gains in energy efficiency can be achieved with existing container drying installations by applying the Agratechniek Drying Method. By equipping an existing installation with automation using Agratechniek’s measurement and control techniques, the drying process can be organized more efficiently, resulting in a 40% savings in gas consumption and 55% in electrical usage.

Heating and ventilation tailored to the drying need

Examples of drying installations with heating, ventilation air distribution ducts, and connections to the containers.

With the Agratechniek Drying Method, the amount of air is adjusted in phases to the amount of moisture that needs to be expelled. Additionally, the warming of the air per phase is variable to dry as economically as possible. Of course, with the settings you choose, you can decide whether to dry very quickly with higher energy costs or optimally in an energy-efficient manner.

Measurements for automated drying:

  • T° + RH of the air from the container; calculation of Absolute Humidity (AH)
  • T° of the incoming heated air
  • T° + RH of the drawn air; calculation of AH
  • Air volume Thanks to the air measurement, the central fan provides the right amount of air for the number of active containers. This saves a great deal of electrical power.

Dried air, heating and ventilation tailored to the drying need

Below is a setup with a fan per container, central heating, and the central WAgratech air dryer.

1
Central WAgratech Air Dryer
2
Central gasburner
3
Fan
4
Inlet proces air
5
Air inlet containers
6
Truckcontainers
7
Distribution channel dried air
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Distribution channel heated air
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Inlet pipe with 3 way valve for dried air
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Inlet pipe with 3 way valve for heated air

Using the WAgratech air dryer, the drying in containers can be further optimized by using not only warm air but also dried air. By adding dried air to the drying process, not only is energy saved, but the drying speed and drying quality are also improved.

Only aditional heated air:

In the initial phase, the product contains so much moisture that even with outside air, without much warming, a lot of moisture is expelled.

As the product dries, the amount of air needed to remove moisture decreases. Heating this air requires relatively little energy. To maintain the drying speed, dried air from the WAgratech air dryer is distributed to the container where it is needed.

Warm air with partly dried air

Dried air with a portion of warm air

As the drying process progresses, heated air becomes increasingly less effective, and further heating of the air uses too much energy and reduces product quality. Therefore, the supply of this is automatically controlled per container, and more dried air is added to maintain the drying speed in the later stages of the drying process.

In the final stages of the drying process, the product contains very little moisture. Therefore, strongly dried air in the final phase of drying ensures that the product is brought to the desired final moisture content in an energy-efficient and prompt manner.

Only aditional dry air

Summary

Efficient container drying with maximum energy savings

With the Agratechniek drying method, container drying systems can be significantly optimized. By upgrading new or existing installations with advanced measurement and control technology, the drying process becomes more efficient, achieving savings of up to 40% on fuel and 55% on electricity.

The system automatically adjusts airflow and temperature in phases, based on the amount of moisture that needs to be removed. This ensures the most efficient combination of air, heat, and dehumidified air at every stage of the drying process.

Continuous monitoring of temperature, relative humidity, absolute humidity, and airflow enables precise control. The ventilation capacity is automatically adapted to the number of active containers, resulting in significant energy savings and optimal drying performance.

By integrating a central air dryer, dehumidified air can be added alongside heated air. This maintains high drying speed while further reducing energy consumption and improving product quality.

This method provides a flexible, energy-efficient, and reliable solution for large-scale container drying with full process control.

Heated air
Dried air

Container Drying is highly suited for drying of Crops, Grass seeds, Seeds

Example installations

Curious about the right solution for your drying or storage challenge?

With our specialized technical expertise in drying and storage installations, we help you move forward.