Potatoes and onions
Rapid grass seed drying at low energy costs
Euro Grass BV, Venzelderheide
Bas Beelen is the person at Euro Grass who is responsible for drying grass seed. He starts enthusiastically by saying: “Last night, we managed to simply heat the outside air from 13 to 35 0C with the aid of a ventilation capacity of 65 %. Only 2 heaters with a control range of 10-15 % were needed to achieve this. Thanks to the application of the frequency regulator the input at 65 % rotational speed is less than 9 kW!”
Bas Beelen adjusts the settings on the Orion storage computer developed by Mooij depending on the quantity of product
that comes in. He explains: “I determine the ventilation capacity on the basis of the number of cases and the type of product. It is possible to stack up to a maximum of 40 cases per drying section. The number of heaters used not only depends on the ventilation capacity but also on the outdoor conditions”. Euro Grass B.V. germinated in 2002. Today, the company’s main focus is on grasses and cruciferous and leguminous crops which it sells throughout Europe.
In 2010 the Euro Grass division in Venzelderheide invested in 2 drying sections. These are mainly used to dry grass seed. However they are also used for wheat, rapeseed and grain maize. In close cooperation with Henri Peters, Head of the Technical department, a deliberate choice was made for a large ventilation capacity at a high counter-pressure for the drying of rapeseed.
 |
 |
This new dryer by “preferred supplier” Mooij is fitted with one very large centrifugal fan per section with a capacity of 30 kW (60,000 m3/h @ 700 Pa static pressure). The rotational speed of the ventilator is regulated by means of a frequency control. In order to be able to dry the product quickly, 3 modulating heaters have been fitted, each with a capacity of 130 kW. The drying section has been built as efficiently as possible to minimise the amount of space lost. It proved to be quite a job to fit the ventilator, which measures 2 x 2 metres into the dryer wall with its inlet opening to the top.
The “Orion” storage computer by Mooij has recently been provided with a new drying programme, especially designed for 
grass seed. The programme starts when the cases are in front of the wall and automatically stops when the desired temperature or the product’s relative humidity has been achieved.
Bas Beelen rounds off by saying: “The drying installation is connected to the Euro Grass network with the Mooij SmartLink. This makes it possible for me to closely monitor the drying process from the office and for all measuring data to be saved automatically”. “If necessary I can even change the settings from home”, according to a satisfied Beelen.
Contact
Dealer finder
Choose a country from the selection list to get a dealer overview.
