Intergranular Air Movement Within an Experimental Grain Store with Three Different Floor Configurations

Intergranular static pressures and air speeds were measured directly to determine the air movement in a experimental bin during low temperature grain drying experiments. The perforated floor of the experimental bin was configured as either horizontal and fully perforated, horizontal and partially perforated, or slanted and fully perforated. In the bin with the partially or slanted perforated floor, airflow was nonuniform and two dimensional. The experimental results showed that the drying process which leads to grain shrinkage and changes in local bulk porosity of grain had little effect on the airflow distribution. Validation of computer simulation showed that the airflow resistance of the perforated surface air entrance should be taken into account in airflow simulation for bins with partially perforated floors.