COMPARISON OF WHEAT DRYING PROCESS DYNAMICS AT DIFFERENT VENTILATION SPEEDS

The aim of the study was to determine the drying dynamics of cereals under laboratory conditions depending on the layer thickness by actively ventilating with constant ambient air parameters. The average air temperature in the laboratory room during drying was 20.8 degrees C and the average relative humidity was 36%. Wheat was divided into four elementary layers. Their moisture at the beginning of drying averaged 17%, but at the end of drying it averaged 13.2%. Wheat was simultaneously dried by active aeration with the following air filtration rates: 0.33 m.s(-1), 0.42 m.s(-1), 0.54 m.s(-1) and 0.61 m.s(-1). At the beginning of the drying process, a rapid removal of moisture from the material to be dried was detected, which contributed to a rapid drop in temperature. Moisture removal of wheat throughout the layer thickness was independent of the aeration air velocity and was approximately 3.7 grams per 100 grams of grain. The highest electricity consumption for carrying 1 g of water per 100 g of wheat in the whole layer thickness was found at the air filtration speed of 0.61 m.s(-1) was 32 Wh, but with the air filtration speed of 0.33 m.s(-1), it was consumed 3 times less, respectively 11 Wh.