Preparing equipment for the new season

Preparation of elevators and grain dryers for the new season

Implementation of regular inspections of the equipment will greatly minimize the likelihood of malfunctions, highly undesirable during the harvesting campaign, and timely detection of breakdowns will prevent the likelihood of downtime.

Also after the harvest is over, there is a question of tidying up the equipment directly involved in this process. Elevators, grain dryers, individual assemblies and parts come under special control of the relevant technical services, whose functions include diagnostics of equipment and realization of necessary repairs, both scheduled and major, replacement of assemblies and mechanisms with expiring resource. As a result of the work performed, the plant as a whole and the units should operate with maximum efficiency and with minimum energy losses.

Elevators

Elevator system. Preparation for the new season

The most exemplary type of granaries are considered to be elevators, the construction of which includes a working tower, silo base, receiving and releasing devices.

Directly in the tower there are scales, elevator elevators, grain cleaning systems, aspiration and gravity equipment, tensioning and drive stations of elevator conveyors.

According to their purpose elevators are subdivided into:

  • harbors
  • millinery
  • transshipment
  • bakeries

Belonging to a certain group is determined by the location of the elevator, the specific design, the amount of equipment and capacity, the technological scheme of the elevator.

For proper uninterrupted operation of elevators in the next season, a number of activities should be carried out, directly to form a “technical base”, namely,

to get rid of grain in full, fumigation, mandatory inspection and repair of transport elements, and, if necessary, technical re-equipment or reconstruction of saving capacities. At the same time, a plan of measures is drawn up, including analysis of units recommended for maintenance and repair,

estimates of forthcoming expenditures are reviewed and approved.

Particular attention is paid to technical points:

  • equipment runtime, which has a direct impact on all “vital” units and assemblies, in this area is important competent assessment of the condition of bearing units for the presence of backlash, the quality of lubricants, the integrity of the housing, it is necessary to check the seating of the bearing, its temperature and rotation quality, the condition of the hinge parts, traction systems, it is also mandatory to revise the existing elevator buckets, the study of scraper (chain) conveyors to identify the condition of scrapers specifically on the chain and housing parts.
  • Quality control of the technological process, which includes – the level and degree of technical re-equipment, re-equipment, this or that degree of repair

 

Grain dryers

They are a device for drying cereals, legumes and oilseeds.

Grain dryers are classified according to the following characteristics:

By the condition of the grain layer:

  • stationary
  • gravitational
  • weighted

By construction of the drying chamber:

  • shafts
  • chamber
  • drum
  • multichambered
  • conveyor belts
  • multi-chamber combinations
  • pneumatic tubes

By design:

  • mobile
  • fixed: reinforced concrete and metal

According to the flowchart:

  • straight-through
  • recirculation

Of course, such a variety of such devices have, as with any technical means, special requirements, namely:

  • ensuring full preservation and improvement of seed and marketable qualities of grain during drying
  • Ensuring uniform heating and drying of grain with obligatory control of temperature and humidity
  • complete absence of probability of mechanical traumatization of grain, possible grain carry away with already used drying agent
  • have sufficient productivity with minimum power and heat consumption and low metal intensity
  • minimum capital expenditures for their construction with maximum use of non-metallic materials, individual metal parts should have an anti-corrosion coating
  • Modularity of design, simplicity and reliability of operation must be present
  • Possibility to change modes and parameters of operation in a wide range while maintaining stable operation in general
  • be versatile, work synchronously with grain of different moisture levels and dry it in one pass
  • Ensuring grain cooling efficiency
  • fireboxes of devices should minimally exclude contamination of grain with harmful substances of fuel combustion products
  • mandatory compliance with the requirements of the various services for this type of equipment

 

Proper operation of grain dryers can be expected if the preparation procedure for the new season has been carried out in accordance with the requirements for this harvesting equipment and the need for qualitative and quantitative results.

In order to accomplish this, a number of activities need to be implemented:

  • decommission equipment from long-term storage
  • Perform visual inspection of all equipment and each unit separately
  • check the functionality of priority components of the dryer for trouble-free subsequent start-up of the plant
  • test the electrical part of the equipment and wiring, check the operability of all controllers and sensors, perform pulling and lubrication
  • clean, rinse at the ultrasonic unit and replace fuel burner filters, if necessary
  • Check the oil level in the gearmotors
  • check the serviceability of the conveying system – belt tension, condition of chains, belts, scrapers and buckets

 

It is a good idea to have at hand consumable and component spare parts, which will be very useful when a malfunction is detected. The timely replacement of individual assemblies and units will allow the drying process to be carried out without downtime, which is extremely destructive for the grain, and uninterrupted, which will affect the efficiency as a whole.

It is possible to prepare for the new season both on your own and with the involvement of highly professional specialists who will realize

All the necessary checks are carried out, and they guarantee the safe and accident-free start-up of the plants. To summarize, the monitoring of existing transportation and technological systems, qualitative assessment of their technical condition, and a well-defined plan and schedule will guarantee success in the stages of preparation for the new harvest.