GB1340752A - Crop driers - Google Patents

Abstract

1340752 Crop drying C VAN DER LELY NV 19 April 1971 [2 Feb 1970] 42545/72 Divided out of 1340751 Heading F4G [Also in Division B8] Crop dried by continuous circulation in a drying chamber 1 supplied with hot air, is discharged from the chamber 1 when dry and is fed by a feeder mechanism into an air duct 13 in which an air flow carries the dried crop through a duct 12 to a store (not shown), the feeder mechanism being sealed to the air duct 13 to prevent the escape of air therefrom. In Figs. 1 and 3, the feeder mechanism comprises two rotating rollers 20 resiliently urged into mutual contact at their resilient peripheries 21C, and engaged by resilient seals 22 and 35, and a funnel 36 closable by plates 37, 38. Crop is charged into the chamber 1 through doors 4 and is circulated by conveyers 1A and 3, the tines 2 of the conveyer 3 being selectively pivotable (as described in Specification 1,315,582) to release entrained crop at different regions according to whether the crop is being charged, dried or discharged. Hot air produced in a heat exchanger 8 heated by a burner 7 is supplied by a blower 9 to the duct 13 which has its side flap 16 open and an end flap closed so that the hot air passes into a chamber 5 and thence through openings in the top wall of the chamber 5 into the drying chamber 1. The rollers 20 may be replaced by endless belts arranged in a V-formation, and the edges of the opening in the duct 13 receiving the belts are resiliently urged to slide into contact with the undersides of the belts. In another embodiment, the edges of the opening in the wall of the duct 13 are joined to curved guides between which a rotatable vaned member is coaxially disposed, the edges of the vanes resiliently engaging the guides. The guides form the funnel at their upper ends. In a further variation, the air from the blower casing 10 can be diverted by a flap either into the hot air chamber 5 or into the crop discharging duct 13. One of the rollers 20 is divided into three portions each of which is resiliently mounted on a common shaft 60 by means of springs, so that air escape is reduced.