Resolving a Dryer Issue at Elkhart Grain
For a full decade, Elkhart Grain had a persistent problem with their dryer system. They were unable to get the temperature they needed out of the dryer. In order to help solve the problem they reached out to Morgan Distributing, who in turn reached out to GEC’s own Todd Meyer.
Todd went to inspect the system and sized the dryer based on the model number. He realized the root of the problem was in the dryer’s sizing. The start up load capacity of the dryer was 35 MBTU. The on-site vaporizers were 2-RH120E’s or the equivalent of 21.9 MBTUS. The run BTU requirement of the dryer was 19 MBTUs.
Todd suggested that the only solution was to add a RH200E vaporizer. He was able to explain what was happening with the dryer system and how the additional vaporizer would solve the issues they were having. The system was originally designed based on the run BTU load of the dryer, a common mistake. After the season last year the dryer system ran great.
Vaporizer System Adjustments at Heartland Coop
Todd Meyer was also able to assist Heartland Coop last week at their Jewel location. They had been having issues getting their dryer to work for years. They even tried solving the issue by adding an additional vaporizer. However, the problem was not the capacity capabilities of the vaporizers, but the way the regulators were configured.
Each vaporizer had two regulators installed in parallel, which were then piped into the main header line. The startup load of the system called for 255 GPH, and they had installed three RH200Es, equivalent to a capacity of 600 GPH. The regulators were sized correctly, but the issue was elsewhere.
Todd recommended low cost changes to help fix the problem. He advised taking two of the existing regulators and using one as a monitor regulator set at 15 pounds and one as an operating regulator set at 10 pounds. The vaporizers would be piped into a main header line and the regulators would be placed 24 inches of the last vaporizer on the header pipe. The other four regulators could then be saved as spares if they ever had problems with the ones being used. With the adjustments Todd advised the vaporizer system was finally cooperating.
