Grain Drying Energy and Fuel
The water a grain dryer has to remove, and the propane it burns doing it.
Example
You enter
- Quantity (bushels) 1000
- Test weight (lb/bu: corn 56, wheat/soy 60) 56
- Initial moisture (%) 20
- Final moisture (%) 15
- Drying energy (Btu/lb water, default 1500) 1500
You get
- Water removed 3294
- Propane (gal) 54
Checked against published worked examples from: Purdue University (Dirk E. Maier), GEAPS Feed & Grain Conference.
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeWater removed = weight x (Mi - Mf)/(100 - Mf), energy = water x ~1500 Btu/lb, propane = energy/91,500. 1000 bu corn (56 lb/bu) from 20% to 15% -> 3,294 lb water, 4.94 million Btu, 54 gal; drying only to 17.5% roughly halves both. The dryer efficiency and fuel heat content govern.
Formula or tableweight = bushels x lb/bu; water = weight x (Mi - Mf)/(100 - Mf); energy = water x Btu/lb; propane = energy / 91500.
Source and editionGrain drying energy from the wet-basis shrink and a heat balance, standard grain-handling practice, by name.
Free accessThe wet-basis moisture-shrink formula and the propane heat content (91,500 Btu/gal) are public grain-handling results.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field namesbushels, lb_per_bushel, mi_percent, mf_percent, btu_per_lb, water_lb, propane_gal
- Water removed weight x (Mi - Mf)/(100 - Mf), wet basismoisture-shrink formula
- Energy and fuel energy = water x ~1500 Btu/lb; propane = energy / 91500 Btu/galgrain-handling practice
- Efficiency the ~1500 Btu/lb includes dryer efficiency; actual variesscope of this tile