beneficial electrification opportunities for …...soybean dryer. continuous flow design that showed...

Bethany Reinholtz, CEM, CWEP

BENEFICIAL ELECTRIFICATIONOPPORTUNITIES FOR AGRIBUSINESS

ENERGY USE IN AGRICULTURE

WASTE HEAT RECOVERY

Reuse of waste heat Poultry and hog barns Improved barn environment Improved bird health 40% heating energy savings

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HEAT PUMPS

High efficiency cooling 100% of hot water needs Payback as low as 4 years Dairy, poultry, fishMeat processing, breweries

INFRARED MANURE DRYING

32’, 250 watt auger 10 minutes 8.4kW – 11kW IR heaters

o Replaced every 3 years 99% pathogen free 23% dry in, 15% dry outOdor free

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ICE TO ELECTRIC MOTORS

Irrigation systemsMixer tractorsManure pumpsManure clearing Single phase pole-written motors

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UV PASTEURIZATION

Kills 99% of pathogenso As effective as using heat

Consumes up to 92% less energy than other types of pasteurizers

Used in dairy for over 10 years

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AIR CURTAINS

Helps maintain indoor air temperatures when heating/cooling

Can decrease heating costs up to 75% Keeps bugs, birds, dust, etc. from entering a space when door open

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ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION Robotic milking Robotic planters Automatic feed pushers Automatic calf feeders Labor savings More precision More efficiency Improved data Soil moisture sensors Weather stations PLC control systems

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ELECTRIC TRACTORS Battery powered (SESAM)

o 300kW, 402 HP, 150kWh batteryo Range of 34 mileso 3 hours to charge

Plug in (GridCON)o 300kW, 400 HPo 1,000 meters cordo Fully autonomouso No down time to charge

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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Challenges Who wants to try first? Cost Financing

Opportunities Partnerships with:

o Equipment Dealerso Universities, Technical

Collegeso USDAo NRCSo Cooperatives/Utility

Companies

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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Bethany Reinholtz, CEM, CWEPProject Manager

Phone: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

DryMAX DryingA NEW LOOK AT WATER REMOVAL

By SOBTONE

IntroductionReversing a millennium of thought on DRYING:

Biomass Drying through RF energy replacement for thermal energy

kWh instead of BTUs

Drying from the inside out, rather than outside layers

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-Dry

MAX

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Our Mission

Find the best way to remove water from

material using RF energy

Our Vision

Benefit multiple industries by designing dryers that

lower costs, improve quality and eliminate

emissions

Our Story

Started by asking the question, “Can things be dried without

heat?” - Invented the DryMAX process

over a 2 year period. - After 500+ experiments, the

breakthrough moment happened. - Patents filed.

ProblemDrying is Expensive

▪ Propane can account for 10-50% of material costs▪ Propane price is volatile and unavailable at times▪ Added costs for large and dangerous equipment

Harmful to Grains/Food/Feedstocks▪ Heat damages grain - cracking, mangling valuable parts▪ Nutrition loss▪ Propane/Gas embeds into food supply

Uneven Drying▪ Micro-cracks, mold, toxins result▪ Inside not dry, though outside is overdried▪ Degrade quality/price if under or overdried (tea, hemp…)

Heat is Dangerous▪ Explosions and Fires▪ Corn takes 6 weeks to cool in bins, problems occur often

▪ Radio Wave Energy instead of BTUs▪ NOT Microwaves – no heating▪ Electricity instead of Propane/Gas▪ RF waves penetrate entire material & chamber area▪ Water exits as Vapor not Steam▪ Dry from from inside out, gentle, fast▪ Cool process: Grain/feedstock leaves at 70-85F▪ Lower OPEX significantly▪ Modular: can be built to move quickly▪ Easy to Scale: lower costs the larger the system

Solution

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Typical dryers have aggressively tried to remove H2O by high heat – a violent vibration of the H2O

molecule

DryMAX attempts to dry with RF energy by pushing water out of material

Rethinking what the DRYER looks like

Small Scale TestingRun desktop studies to show viability on energy and costs- DESIGN a Prototype

Assessing MaterialFinding the material that is

sensitive or has a high drying cost

Large Scale TestingFrom studies, design and build a dryer

to run 1 ton per hour.Define the variables that best fit the

material.

Green Material Drying Studies

• NO HEAT – 96F average Temperature • 150-600 Watts• 95% Air Humidity• From 76% to 28%• 2-3 hours

CLOSED WITH FAN – Air circulation is very important

SMALL BATCH TEST – 1 cubic ft

FRESH LEAVES – FILLED TO TOP

DRIED 1 HourHALF VOLUME

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MAX

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HEMP DRYING

In the next 5 years HEMP production will grow 500%

DRYING HEMP IS A PROBLEM

Hemp oil is delicate and cannot be dried at high temps. The best quality is when kept below 120F.

VALUABLE CBD OIL

Most farmers are building barns to hang the plants after hand cutting

NOT ENOUGH SPACE TO HANG IT

Both the drying and extracting are bottlenecks that have caused loss

BOTTLENECKS

HEMP CHARTS

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30 mins

210 mins180 mins120 mins

90 mins60 mins

THERMAL ANALYSIS

HEMP CHARTS

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HUMIDITY ANALYSIS

Soybean DryerContinuous flow design that showed us how tall the drier needed to be. It has adjustable front screens for up to 5’ grain wall.

A 1/8th scale of a tower dryer model and 5’ tall chamber. With airflow in the back and screen in the front, this tester showed how thick the ‘grain wall’ could be.

TEST RESULTSPower: 3000W

Bushels/hr: 34 scaleAt Full =34x8x6=1,632

Speed: 1.2% /hr

Cost/bushel 6%= $0.0171

Power Usage

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GRAIN DRYING ANALYSIS

Soybeans at 15.6% Moisture

Ambient Humidity - 75%Starting Temp - 71F

RF Power – 3000 W – power on 10 seconds, off 10 secondsEffective Power – 1500W

Bushels/hour - 34

LARGE SCALE = 24kW RF can support 1000 bushels/hour (40-60amps) 480v 3 Phase

$ 1.7 cents per bushel for 6% moisture removal

As soon as RF is turned on, Air Temperature and Moisture % go up IMMEDIATELY

Power Usage

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GRAIN DRYING ANALYSIS

Fan is on

As soon as RF is turned on, Air Temperature and Moisture % go up IMMEDIATELY

Over Time: Humidity is Maintained above 100%Air Temperature steadily goes down as Evaporation cools the Soybeans

Power Use: RF + Large enough Fan to push air through + Possible Heater to Maintain AirTemp at 80F (electric/Inductor)

1000 Bu/hr = 100-140 amps

MILESTONES▪ 4-year operating history▪ 12 prototypes to dry feedstocks: 140+ materials tested▪ In Patent process: patent pending▪ Showcase Models deployed in October 2018▪ JV Partnerships with other Industries▪ Strategic Partners: Ag industry leaders

OPPORTUNITY

Drymax is Looking for R&D Partners in 2019/20

▪ Food Processing Plants▪ Multiple types of Grain Producers▪ Large Feed Company▪ Manure or Municipal sludge▪ Alfalfa Grower▪ Ethanol Refinery▪ Food – Higher Quality▪ Aggregates, sand and minerals▪ Other Industrial Drying Needs

Thank YouKevin [email protected]

Electrify Indiana! The Future Is Electric!

Beneficial Electrification League (BEL)

BE In Agri-Business!


> Replace direct fossil fuel use> Reduce overall emissions> Encourage wise use> Reduce energy costs> Provide benefits

FarmerEnvironmentPower supplier


Ag Energy EfficiencyTarget measures for equipment that is used the most or……………..When replacing failed equipment• Turning things OFF saves the most energy• If it is never ON, it doesn’t need to be efficient

Manage loads• Peak reduction• Reliability• Increased renewable utilization

Bigger Farms = Bigger Opportunities! No two farms are the same!


Opportunities – LED Lighting• Efficient• New, Retrofit, Replacement• Controllable

> Dimming, occupancy, etc.> Color control> Photoperiod> Photosynthesis

• Safety / security


BE Technologies in Agriculture• Heating & Ventilation• Climate Control Systems• Comfort = Productivity

Beneficial Electrification League (BEL)• Machine/Motor Drives• Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)

>Opportunities•Pumps •Fans•Motor starting•Phase conversion

• 31% flow reduction• 55% power reduction


Indoor Agriculture – More Food per Acre

• LED Lighting• Climate Control• Motors & Drives• Refrigeration• Water Management• Sustainable


Non-Road Vehicles - Home on the Range Anxiety?


Autonomous Farm Machinery• No Seat• No Steering Wheel• Reduced Compaction


Autonomous Farm MachineryRobotic Feeding System

• Cows Eat More• Saves Labor• 8,000 kWh/year• Replaces 1,260 gal. diesel• 15,900 #s CO2 reduction


Single-Phase Written-Pole® MotorsExtended range of horsepower ratings30 to 100 horsepower in single-phase voltages

Beneficial Electrification League - BEL!

Thank You!

beneficial electrification opportunities for …...soybean dryer. continuous flow design that showed...

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