GRAIN DRYING OPTIMIZATION AT LOW-TEMPERATURES

The optimisation of grain drying systems was studied through the dynam ic programming technique focusing on the minimisation of the energy co nsumption, takingin account the conservation of the product quality an d avoiding excessive humidity gradients in the bed at the end stages o f drying. An algorithm was developed, where the input data were the in itial conditions of the product and the climate data of the region. Th e operational conditions considered were: fan on or off, and different degrees of air heating (1 to 5 degrees C). The result obtained was an optimised management strategy for the operation of the dryer, specifi ed for each stage of the process, in two situations: calculated from t he mean climate data of ten years, and corrected day by day with up to date climate data.