TSGC. Grain Temperature Monitoring Systems INC. Tri-States Grain Conditioning, Inc.

Transcription

1 TSGC INC Tri-States Grain Conditioning, Inc. Grain Temperature Monitoring Systems

2 Grain Temperature Monitoring - An Effective Management Tool CONTROL ENERGY COSTS: 1 HP = 1 KW KW x (KW per hour) x KW per hour cost Example: 10 HP motor run for 14 days (14 days x /KW = $ Your Operation: x x = HP KW/hour KW/hour cost WARNING SIGNALS The following table can be used as a rule of thumb for warning signals: When grain is reading 40º a rise of 3º is a warning 50º 5º 60º 7º 70º 9º 80º 10º 90º 11º 100º 13º WARNING SIGNALS IMPORTANT: Any rapid rise of temperature in a given location in the grain mass - no matter how small - is an indication that trouble is developing. The greater the rise within a given time, the greater the immediate danger. Aeration is essential for dry grain storage. An aeration system moves air through grain to control grain temperature and reduce biological activity. An aeration cycle is the time it takes to change the temperature of all the grain. Fall Aeration - cool grain to recommended temperature for your geographic location. Record Grain Temperature - grain temperature should be within of the average outside air temperature, if not, start aeration cycle immediately. Operate aeration fans long enough to cool all grain or spoilage may occur. To Be Sure of Complete Cooling or Warming Cycle, You Must Monitor the Change in Grain Temperature, noting trends up or down. Check Stored Grain Weekly Check with your local extension office for your area s recommendations. TEMPERATURE CABLES WILL TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF THE AERATION PROCESS AND HELP YOU CONTROL YOUR ENERGY COSTS.

3 INITIAL COST PER BUSHEL TSGC markets a complete line of grain temperature monitoring systems to fit any size facility or budget and would be happy to provide you with a custom quote for your operation. The information below is for demonstration purposes only. 48 Diameter x 33 Eave x 48 Peak - 53,000 Bushels 1 Temperature Cable 15% Direct Coverage 3 Temperature Cables 50% Direct Coverage 7 Temperature Cables 100% Direct Coverage 50% 100% 7,950 Bushels Direct Coverage Less than 1 per Bushel 26,500 Bushels Direct Coverage Less than 2 per Bushel 53,000 Bushels Direct Coverage Less than 4 per Bushel TSGC is one of the largest suppliers of top-quality grain temperature monitoring products, marketed worldwide.

4 7 IMPORTANT REASONS WHY GRAIN MANAGERS USE TEMPERATURE MONITORING Maximum energy efficiency of aeration systems. Provides accurate information for safe, long term storage. Alerts managers more quickly to changing grain conditions. Helps keep grain in highest quality condition. Detection of mold growth. Detection of insect activity. Monitors the effectiveness of fumigation. TEMPERATURE MONITORING Temperature records help you, the grain manager, to react quickly to changes occurring within the grain. Whether grain is warm or cool, changes in temperature can be the first sign of potential problems. F A L L W I N T E R WET GRAIN FROM MOISTURE ACCUMULATION MOISTURE MIGRATION HI-MOISTURE ZONE Grain is a very good insulator, thus the center stays warmer longer. Moisture migration may occur in any storage tank. It is caused by differences in grain air temperatures. Air currents always take the path of least resistance. In the Fall, the cold air on the outside of the bin (cold air is heavier) pushes the warmer air into the center of the bin where it moves upward and eventually encounters the cool air at the top. This results in condensation and crusting. The opposite may take place in the Spring and Summer, with condensation and spoilage occurring at the bottom of the bin. Temperature monitoring cables provide the information needed to help keep temperatures uniform throughout the bin, eliminating moisture migration. MOLD ACTIVITY All stored grain is infected to a certain extent with various types of mold. Moisture and temperature will stimulate mold growth and lower the quality of stored grain. Poor quality grain, i.e. cracks or harvest damage, is more susceptible to mold activity. S P R I N G S U M M E R INFESTATION Insect activity always increases the temperature of stored grain. Insect reproduction accelerates in warm grain. Infestations may be arrested with fumigates, however, practically all insects become dormant when subject to low temperatures.

5 THE IMPORTANCE OF GRAIN TEMPERATURE MONITORING Temperature is the key to safe grain storage. When grain goes out of condition, regardless of the cause, there is always an unusual increase in temperature. For those who manage grain, temperature is the best indicator of grain quality. Grain is a living organism. Like other living things, it breathes (respires) and it may become sick. Excessive moisture, high temperature, and poor grain condition (damaged kernels) are generally considered the most important factors that lead to trouble in stored grain. The three specific causes of heating are respiration of the grain itself (metabolism of viable grain), microflora (microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria), and insect infestation. Many factors have made accurate temperature knowledge even more important than before. For example: 1. Grain is stored longer and in larger bins, making the risk in holding it greater. 2. Grain is harvested and often stored at a higher moisture content. 3. The cost of handling and moving grain has increased. It costs from 1 1/2 to 5 cents per bushel to move grain. Accurate temperature information allows an operator to turn his grain only when it must be turned. 4. With the use of aeration systems, temperature knowledge is essential. The grain manager must know if and when hot spots are forming before the aeration system can do a thorough and economical job. There are a few ways to obtain the grain temperature. 1. The Feel and Smell method. All that is required here is for the grain manager to feel the side of his bin and smell inside the bin in an attempt to detect heating. Obviously, this method has its drawbacks. If you can smell it, the damage is already happening. 2. The Probe method is another way to read temperatures. With this method, pipes are inserted into the grain mass and a thermometer lowered into them. After a time, the thermometer is raised and the temperature read for that point. This method also has several serious drawbacks. a) It is very time consuming, b) a thermometer is not designed to furnish quick readings, c) very limited areas can be tested. 3. The Temperature Cable method. Temperature cables are suspended at equidistant points from the roof of the structure. These cables have multiple temperature sensing points along the length of each cable which record the grain temperature and communicate it to a reading device. This could include a hand-held instrument and/or a smart phone that can retrieve info from any place on the planet that has cell phone coverage. Temperature cables are custom made for grain temperature monitoring. Thermocouples are the most widely used temperature sensors in the grain industry. TSGC chooses to use them for many reasons. Thermocouples are: 1. Rugged 2. Low-Cost 3. Accurate 4. Dependable Remember, temperature is the key to SAFE and SUCCESSFUL grain storage.

6 Natural Air Drying & Storage With increasing energy costs and the dry down capabilities of today s hybrids, many producers are harvesting 16 to 20% corn. The following charts provide you with information on storage life and equilibrium moisture content for corn and soybeans. Grain will deteriorate faster as temperature and moisture content increase. Using corn as an example, the table below illustrates how fast grain can spoil even with proper aeration. Knowing temperature is vital. Allowable Storage Time (Days) for Shelled Corn Corn Moisture Content* Temp 15% 18% 20% 22% 24% 26% *Based on USDA research at Iowa State University - 0.5% dry matter decomposition. Corn is a perishable commodity with a limited shelf life that depends on the moisture content and temperature. Shelf Life is the length of time good quality, aerated shelled corn can be stored before losing 1/2% of dry matter. With this amount of dry matter decomposition, it is assumed that the corn loses some quality, but maintains its market grade. For each 10 F increase in temperature, storage time is cut in about half when held at a given moisture content. By knowing and controlling temperature, you can extend your storage time. Equilibrium Moisture Content Grain Moisture Content will change with the relative humidity of the surrounding air. The following Equilibrium Moisture Values chart shows the relationship between the moisture content of corn at various temperature and relative humidity. Under certain conditions, no matter how long the fan is operated, the grain may not reach the desired moisture content that will allow it to be stored without spoilage. Keep in mind, the air temperature and relative humidity are not constant; however, use the daily average to determine the final moisture content. Knowing temperature is vital to prevent overdrying and help reduce shrink and energy costs. Equilibrium Moisture Values 20% 40% 60% 80% Temp C SB C SB C SB C SB (C=shelled yellow dent 7.2 corn; 12.7 SB = soybeans) Example A farmer fills his 40,000 bushel bin. His goal is 15% moisture. He wants to make sure the bin is cool so the grain stays in shape so he runs his fans until he thinks its cool. He is surprised when he unloads the bin and the corn is 12% moisture. What did not monitoring grain temperature cost him? See below: Shrink - the Invisible Bandit Over drying from 15% to 12% results in 3.41% shrink. For example, a 50,000 bushel bin would lose approximately 1,700 bushels. At $6.00 per bushel, the loss totals over $10,000. Using a grain temperature monitoring system would have provided this grower the opportunity to make an additional 20 per bushel.

7 Grain TRAC removes the guess work from grain storage. Grain TRAC reads and sends temperature data to a secure web page. Remotely read your Tri-States Grain Conditioning temperature cables from any computer with Internet access. Grain TRAC gives you the ability to monitor all your bins on a daily basis without driving, climbing or keeping hand written notes. Temperature cables that are installed in the bin connect to the Grain TRAC sensor board. Readings are taken 4 times daily to collect timely temperature data. The data is sent to the Internet and viewed at (wireless ag network). Yearly website access fee applies. Grain TRAC gives you the ability to read current and past readings, generate reports, and view easy to read graphs. It includes user configurable alarms that identify the beginning of heat activity. Grain TRAC will pay for itself by reducing risk and improving grain quality while reducing labor and energy costs. Get text or alerts sent directly to your phone. With better management tools, you will be able to sell grain consistently closer to standard moisture content. SafeTrack Wireless Bin Monitoring SafeTrack is a complete solution for monitoring commodity temperatures. The SafeTrack system provides simple, accurate and fast grain monitoring. Data analyzing, reporting and archiving is quick and easy. A clean and simple interface makes scanning your bins effortless. Easy to read graphics show status and problems at-a-glance. Run SafeTrack manually or automatically, locally or over the network/internet for anytime, anywhere monitoring. Significantly reduce installation costs by using radios to link the Remote Scanner to your PC. Connect temperature cables to a Remote Scanner and begin monitoring right away. SafeTrack Remote Scanners easily adapt to most existing temperature cable systems.