Feed drying with stela AgroDry® on a laying hen farm
Lukas Gotthartsleitner, Österreich
Sector: Agriculture
Challenge: Integration of the dryer as part of an overall goods receiving and storage system.
Solution: Development of a control concept with customised agricultural dryer.
Dryer used: stationary drying system AgroDry® MDB-TN 1-4-S
Product to be dried: Maize, wheat, rapeseed
Challenge
The Gotthartsleitner family's farm in Upper Austria is known as a direct marketer of regional eggs. Lukas Gotthartsleitner decided to purchase a drying system from stela Laxhuber in order to meet the required capacity of maize as feed for the laying hens.
As part of the goods receiving and storage system for wet and dry goods, the challenge was to integrate the drying technology into the overall system. This required close coordination between the conveying and silo technology trades involved and the energy supplier. The control of the entire system was to be fully integrated into the control of the drying plant. The system also had to be planned, manufactured and installed within a short space of time so that it would be ready for use for the coming harvest season.
Solution
In order to meet the technical and organisational requirements, the project was planned from the outset in close coordination with the customer and all partners involved. To create the control concept, the customer's requirements for the system were determined and planned accordingly. An essential part of the solution was the development of a control concept that not only included the drying system, but also the entire conveyor and storage system.
The drying system itself is based on the counterflow principle. This means that the heated air flows against the direction of flow of the material to be dried, ensuring even and gentle drying. This technology makes it possible to precisely adjust the moisture content of the crop, while at the same time ensuring energy-efficient operation. The AgroDry® continuous dryer from Lukas Gotthartsleitner now has a drying capacity of 3 tonnes/hour for maize with a moisture reduction from 35% to 15%
Manufacturing and assembly
To ensure that the dryer was ready for use in time for the harvest season, it was manufactured and installed within six months. Coordination with the other trades was planned in detail from the outset to avoid delays. The drying system was finally put into operation before the start of the harvest season.
Conclusion and outlook
With the new drying system, our customer Gotthartsleitner was able to implement a customised solution that takes all operational processes into account. Thanks to the complete integration into the existing conveyor and storage system as well as the centralised control system, the entire process from the delivery of the harvested material to the storage of the finished dried goods is handled efficiently and safely.
‘The collaboration with stela did not end with the commissioning of the system. I will also continue to use stela Laxhuber for the inspection.’
- Lukas Gotthartsleitner
Even after completion of the project, stela continues to support the Gotthartsleitner family's business with regular service and maintenance. Thanks to the modular design, adaptations and extensions are possible at any time should operational requirements change in the future. The AgroDry® continuous dryer in Pettenbach demonstrates how a customised, stationary drying system can be integrated into existing farm structures. Technical efficiency was important here - as were operational reliability and adaptability. These aspects were all taken into consideration.
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