Green and clean drying equipment to assist grain storage

"In simple terms, ground-source heat pump is a heating, cooling and air conditioning system that utilizes geothermal resources stored in the ground and converts them into energy, enabling efficient utilization of geothermal resources," said Lyu Bin, director of the marketing department of the China Suzhou Power Supply Co of the State Grid Corp. The Shuangshan Island Green Grain Drying Center uses underground pipes buried 100 meters deep to absorb underground heat and transports the heat to the grain drying equipment through a heat pump circulation system, using high temperatures to evaporate the moisture in the grain.

"The heat pump needs electricity to 'transport' heat, so we have simultaneously strengthened the construction of supporting power facilities. We have built a dedicated transformer with a capacity of 500 kVA for the center and installed more than 50 meters of cables to ensure stable power supply to the drying center," said Zhou Jun, deputy director of the marketing department of the Zhangjiagang Power Supply.

Compared to traditional drying equipment, ground-source heat pump grain drying offers advantages in terms of space efficiency, high productivity and low carbon emissions. "This technology primarily harnesses geothermal resources, allowing the ground-source heat pump drying equipment to produce around 5 times the heat energy for every 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed," said Lyu.

Moreover, the proximity of the heating evaporator in the ground-source heat pump grain drying equipment to the grain dryer enables the direct transfer of heat into the drying chamber, resulting in increased energy efficiency. Compared to conventional methods, it can save over 30 percent in electricity consumption, significantly reducing production costs.

"After the project's implementation, the drying cost per ton of grain has decreased from around 240 yuan using fuel to approximately 60 yuan, resulting in a cost reduction of about 75 percent. Moreover, the entire drying process only requires one or two operators, relieving local farmers of significant burdens," said Huang Longhu, the agricultural machinery administrator of Shuangshan Xiangshan Tourist Resort. Considering an annual drying volume of 4,500 tons of wheat and rice, the drying center can save nearly 800,000 yuan in expenses.

In recent years, Suzhou Power Supply has focused on promoting the green transformation and development of agriculture, actively advocating for green and clean grain drying equipment and technologies, and promoting energy-efficient and environmentally friendly upgrades as well as the adoption of clean heat sources for grain drying. To date, Suzhou has invested in a total of 683 sets of various types of clean heat source drying equipment, accounting for over 40 percent of the total, effectively ensuring the green and secure storage of grain.

zhuangqiange@chinadaily.com.cn