Marketplace and Quality Assurance Presentation - Vincent Chirchir
4. How to Bin for Profit - Storing Grain to Maximize Quality and Blend
1. How to Bin for Profit – Storing Grain to
Maximize Quality and Blend
Convey’21
Omaha, Nebraska
July 13-14, 2021
Dirk E. Maier, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor, Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering
Post-Harvest Engineer, Iowa Grain Quality Initiative
Director, ISU Feed Mill & Grain Science Complex
dmaier@iastate.edu
3. State-of-the-art grain handling, drying, storage and feed processing
facility to further ISU’s teaching, research, service, extension and
industry outreach mission.
1. To provide an environment of the highest safety standards,
biosecurity, and regulatory compliance
2. To enhance ISU teaching programs related to feed technology,
animal nutrition, and grain operations & quality
3. To provide extension and industry outreach programming related
to feed technology, animal nutrition, and grain operations &
quality training, demonstration and continuing education
4. To support ISU animal nutrition, feed technology, and grain
operations & quality research programs
5. To manufacture diets and feeds for the university's livestock and
poultry teaching and research farms
Iowa State University Kent Corporation
Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex
10. Iowa State University Kent Corporation
Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex
Iowa Corn
Education Building
Probe Station
Sukup Grain Center
Truck Scale
Kent Feed Mill
Dryer
Test Stand
12. Education Vision for Students
• Provide a growing pool of recruitable interns and
knowledgeable employees for Iowa’s (and the region’s) grain,
feed and allied industries
• operations, nutrition, technology, engineering, management
• Provide undergraduate and graduate student teaching and
practical training in feed technology and grain operations
– Multidisciplinary minor in Feed Technology
• Students in Ag Systems Technology, Animal Science, Ag
Business, Ag Studies
– New courses in feed technology and feed safety
• Future courses in feed mill business management, advanced mill
operations and technologies, …
– Hands-on experiences in new pilot facility, feed mill, and hands-on
training center
13. Feed Technology Minor
(https://catalog.iastate.edu/interdisciplinaryprograms/minor/feedtechnology/)
Course Title Credits
TSM 322 & 322L or
ABE 469
Preservation of Grain Quality & Lab or
Grain Processing and Handling
3
TSM 455 Feed Processing and Technology (new course) 3
TSM 457 Feed Safety, Ingredient Quality & Analytics (new course) 3
AnS 320 Animal Feeds and Feeding 3
AnS 324 Food Processing for Companion Animals 3
Total 15
16. Industry On-site Course Offerings
• Advanced Grain Elevator Operations Management
(AGEOM) Short Course
– Focuses on advanced grain elevator operations mgmt
– Target group: operations managers, location superintendents
– 3 CEUs and Professional Engineers (P.E.) hours
– IGQI-AAI: 1st week in January (2018, 19, 20, 21)
• Jan’21 offering converted to a virtual course focused on Grain
Quality Management (offered February 15-19, 2021)
– Custom offerings:
– in collaboration with other associations (GFAI, GEAPS)
– to support company in-house training of employees (CVA, IAS)
17. AGEOM On-site Course Offering
First post-Covid in-person AGEOM course in partnership with
Grain & Feed Association of Illinois June 21-25, 2021
18. Hands-On Training Center
• Hands-on training center for equipment maintenance,
personnel safety, regulatory compliance, and
developing technical competence
– Target group: operations employees of grain elevators
and feed mills, community college/university students
– Model: Cargill Operations Training Center (Iowa Falls, IA),
Asmark Institute (Bloomington, IL)
– Advisory Team: Bob Marlow, Jeff Showalter, John Lee
– Facility: existing warehouse structure adjacent to ISU
Feed Mill & Grain Science Complex
– Sponsorships/Partnerships: Available/Industry-wide
20. Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC)
EMC is the moisture content at which grain will
equilibrate when exposed to particular drying or
rewetting air conditions
This relationship is of particular importance for
grain cooling, drying, conditioning and rewetting
21. Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC)
• For fan operation
management to cool,
dry, condition or
rewet...
• Given certain
conditions of air
temperature and RH...
What MC will the grain
equilibrate toward?
How to manage
shrink?
Inlet Air
Temperature and
Relative Humidity
Grain
Moisture?
22. Corn Equilibrium Moisture Content Isotherm
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Humedad del Grano (%)
Humedad
Relativa
de
Equilibrio
(%)
Ambient air at 50°F (10°C) – Ambient RH is changed stepwise
Grain Moisture Content (%)
Air
Relative
Humidity
(%)
Set AC unit to 50°F
(10°C) and 70% RH.
After sometime corn
will equilibrate at
about 14-15%.
Set AC unit to 50°F
(10°C) and 30% RH.
After sometime corn will
equilibrate at about 10%.
It will not go down further,
even if you wait longer.
Set AC unit to 50°F
(10°C) and 90% RH.
After sometime corn will
equilibrate at about 20%.
It will not go up further,
even if you wait longer.
This line is called isotherm, meaning that for each
temperature there is one curve
23. Equilibrium Relative Humidity (ERH)
• Given a certain condition of grain
temperature and moisture content, what is
the relative humidity of the interstitial air?
• Recall corn isotherm line...
Grain Moisture Content at 50°F (10°C)
10% 15% 20%
30% RH
70% RH
90% RH
If corn is stored at
10% MC, the RH in
the interstitial air will
be about 30%
If corn is stored at
15% MC, the RH in
the interstitial air will
be about 70%
If corn is stored at
20% MC, the RH in
the interstitial air will
be about 90%
24. Grain composition
affects EMC
The higher the oil
content, the higher
the equilibrium MC
For the same MC,
the ERH in the
interstitial air is
higher
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
100.0
5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23
Equilibrium
Relative
Humidity
(%)
Equilibrium Grain Moisture Content (%)
Wheat
Soybean
Corn
Sunflower
Rice
Composition Effect on EMC – Different Grain Types
Oil content
Corn
Wheat
Rice
13% MC
65% RH
13% MC
70% RH
< 10% 20-25% 45-50%
Soybean Sunflower
Canola
13% MC
90% RH
Equilibrium moisture content
relationships are grain specific!!!!
25.
26. 0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
100.0
5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23
Equilibrium
Relative
Humidity
(%)
Equilibrium Grain Moisture Content (%)
Wheat
Soybean
Corn
Sunflower
Rice
Sunflower Soy
Oilseeds Cereals
Safe storage MC for different grains and oilseeds
Unsafe
storage
Safe
storage
67%
RH
Safe storage
conditions for
cereals is about 13-
15% MC
Corn
Wheat
Rice
Safe storage
conditions for
oilseeds is lower
(depending on oil
content)
27. Calculate EMC, ERH, and Safe Storage Moisture…
NEW Grain Aeration and Storage App
36. Air Conditions, EMC and Grain Aeration
Selecting proper
ambient air conditions
during fan operation
hours is critical for
avoiding overdrying
during long term
storage
37. What happens to grain MC when aeration fan
is turned on?
Grain will
slowly
equilibrate
with the
ambient air
condition
based on the
EMC
relationship
Corn at
14%
MC
68°F and
60% RH
68°F and
80% RH
68°F and
70% RH
Ambient air condition
After enough fan run
hours grain equilibrates
to average air condition
12% MC
14% MC
16% MC
Equilibrium
Air
RH%
38. Reed Book Fig 18, p165
Wheat and Air Equilibrium at 12%
Moisture Content
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Air Temperature (F)
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.035
Absolute
Humidity
(lb
water/lb
air)
100 %Relative Humidity
50 %Relative Humidity
Wheat 12 % m.c.
39. Reed Book Fig 19, p166
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.035
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Absolute
Humidity
(lb
water/lb
air)
Air Temperature (F)
100 % Relative Humidity
50 % Relative Humidity
Wheat 12 % m.c.
Grain Temp
= 95 ºF
Air temp = 77 ºF
Air R. H. = 80 %
Air temp = 75°F
Air R.H. = 80%
Wheat with 12% m.c. at 95ºF aerated
with air at 75ºF and 80% R.H.
==> What is the Twb of this air?
40. Reed Book Fig 20, p167
Final temperature of wheat at 12% m.c.
aerated with air at 75ºF Tdb, 80% R.H. and
70ºF Twb
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Air Temperature (F)
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.035
Absolute
Humidity
(lb
water/lb
air)
100 %Relative Humidity
50 %Relative Humidity
Wheat 12 % m.c.
Initial
Temp
Cooling Air
= 70°F Twb
Final Grain
Temperature
82°F
Note: Grain Moisture Trend = 16.9%
41. 0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.035
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Absolute
Humidity
(lb
water/lb
air)
Air Temperature (F)
100 % Relative Humidity
50 % Relative Humidity
Corn 16 % m.c.
Wet-Bulb Lines
Corn with 16% m.c. at 75ºF aerated
with air at 60ºF and 50% R.H.
Air temp = 60°F
Air R.H. = 50%
42. Final temperature of corn at 16% m.c.
aerated with air at 60ºF and 50% R.H. and
50ºF Twb
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Air Temperature (F)
0
0.005
0.01
0.015
0.02
0.025
0.03
0.035
Absolute
Humidity
(lb
water/lb
air)
100 %Relative Humidity
50 %Relative Humidity
Corn 16 % m.c.
Wet-Bulb Lines
Corn at 75 ºF
Cooling Air = 50°F Twb
Final Grain
Temperature
54°F
Air temp = 60°F
Air R.H. = 50%
Note: Grain Moisture Trend = 11.9%
47. • Phase 1: Fall Cool Down
• Lower grain temperatures stepwise
• October 40-45°F
• November 35-40°F
• December 28-35°F
• Phase 2: Winter Maintenance
• Maintain temperatures with intermittent aeration
• January, February 28-35°F
• Phase 3: Spring Holding
• Keep cold grain cold
• Seal fans
• Ventilate headspace intermittently
S.L.A.M. Step 3: Aeration
48. Rule of Thumb for Aeration Shrink
Total Bushel shrink =
Bu aerated x degree temp drop x 0.022 x 1.2%
Example:
• 50,000 bushel bin corn at 15.5% mc and 70°F
• Cool to 50°F @ 75% = 264 bu of shrink during Oct cycle (15.2% mc)
• Cool to 40°F @ 69% = 131 bu of shrink during Nov cycle (15.1% mc)
• Cool to 30°F @ 64% = 131 bu of shrink during Dec cycle (15.0% mc)
• Total Shrink = 526 bushels of aeration shrink
• Expected final moisture content = 15.0-15.2%
49. Moisture Loss due to Excessive Aeration of Corn
15.5% MC
15.5% MC
15.5% MC
15.5% MC
14.0% MC
12.5% MC
10.0% MC
lb of water
evaporated =
loss of money
15.5% MC
Instead of this Mostly end up like this
50. Value of Corn Lost due to Over-Aerating
15.5% MC
14.0% MC
12.5% MC
10.0% MC
Bin Size
lb of water
evaporated
Bushel of
water
Loss of
Money
D60 H45
(103,000 bu)
165,744 2,960 $11,839
D84 H75
(334,000 bu)
537,216 9,593 $38,373
D105 H90
(626,000 bu)
1,007,280 17,987 $71,949
Calculated based on $4/bu of corn
lb of water
evaporated =
loss of money
51. EMC Controlled Aeration of Corn
15.5% MC
15.5% MC
15.5% MC
15.5% MC
15.2% MC
15.0% MC
14.8% MC
15.5% MC
lb of water
evaporated =
loss of money
Instead of this
(Ideal)
Achieve this (Practical)
52. Shrink Loss Reduction for Corn Aeration
Bin Size
Uncontrolled Aeration Controlled Aeration
Shrink Loss/year Shrink Loss/year
60 x 45 $11,839 $1,820
84 x 75 $38,373 $5,900
105 x 90 $71,949 $11,062
Uncontrolled Aeration
Bottom Layer: 10%
Top Layer: 15.5%
Controlled Aeration
Bottom Layer: 14.9%
Top Layer: 15.5%
Savings of 6X
54. 12.7% MC
12.5% MC
12.3% MC
13.0% MC
11.5% MC
10.0% MC
8.0% MC
13.0% MC
Moisture Loss due to Excessive Aeration of Soybean
lb of water
evaporated =
loss of money
Instead of this Mostly end up like this
55. 13.0% MC
11.5% MC
10.0% MC
8.0% MC
Bin Size
lb of water
evaporated
Bushel of
water
Loss of
Money
60 x 45 164,221 2,737 $21,896
84 x 75 532,278 8,871 $70,970
105 x 90 998,022 16,634 $133,070
Value of Soybeans Lost due to Over-Aerating
Calculated based on $8/bu of soybeans
lb of water
evaporated =
loss of money
56. EMC Controlled Aeration of Soybeans
13.0% MC
13.0% MC
13.0% MC
13.0% MC
12.8% MC
12.6% MC
12.3% MC
13.0% MC
lb of water
evaporated =
loss of money
Instead of this
(Ideal)
Achieve this (Practical)
57. Bin Size
Uncontrolled
Aeration
Controlled
Aeration
Shrink Loss/year Shrink Loss/year
60 x 45 $21,896 $3,536
84 x 75 $70,970 $11,462
105 x 90 $133,070 $21,492
Uncontrolled Aeration
Bottom Layer: 8.0%
Top Layer: 13.0%
Controlled Aeration
Bottom Layer: 12.3%
Top Layer: 13.0%
Shrink Loss Reduction for Soybeans Aeration
Savings of 6X
59. Predicting suitable aeration periods
based on weather forecast…
• NEW Grain Aeration and Storage
App loads local 6-day weather
forecast
– Indicates average and minimum
ambient temperature
• Allows for selection of % of coolest
hours available for next 6 days
– 50% = selects the 50% coolest
hours of each day, or all hours
below the daily average
temperature, and provides the
recommended thermostat set-point
temperature to achieve that target
– 100% = maximizes fan run hours
but results in a higher thermostat
set-point temperature
63. Aeration cooling potential of corn & soybeans
Des Moines – Iowa (2015-19; 5-year average)
Average Temperature = 52.2 +/- 19.0°F
Average Relative Humidity = 70.2 +/- 6.0%
64. Des Moines – Iowa (2015-19; 5-year average)
Winter < 40°F
Fall & spring = 50-60°F
Summer = 60-77°F
Aeration cooling potential of corn & soybeans
Winter R.H. = 70-75%
Fall & spring = 60-73%
Summer = 65-73%
65. Des Moines – Iowa (2015-19; 5-year average)
Air EMC trend for corn & soybeans
15%
13%
Average Temperature = 52.2 +/- 19.0°F EMC = 14.7% Corn
Average Relative Humidity = 70.2 +/- 6.0% EMC = 13.2% Soybeans
47 F
66. Des Moines – Iowa (2015 - 2019)
Cooling potential of corn
in November
Winter < 40°F
Fall & spring = 50-60°F
Summer = 60-77°F
Winter R.H. = 70-75%
Fall & spring = 60-73%
Summer = 65-73%
67. Des Moines – Iowa (2015 - 2019)
Cooling potential of corn
in February
Winter < 40°F
Fall & spring = 50-60°F
Summer = 60-77°F
Winter R.H. = 70-75%
Fall & spring = 60-73%
Summer = 65-73%
68. Des Moines – Iowa (2015 - 2019)
Cooling potential of corn
in April
Winter < 40°F
Fall & spring = 50-60°F
Summer = 60-77°F
Winter R.H. = 70-75%
Fall & spring = 60-73%
Summer = 65-73%
69. Des Moines – Iowa (2015 - 2019)
Cooling potential of corn
in July
Winter < 40°F
Fall & spring = 50-60°F
Summer = 60-77°F
Winter R.H. = 70-75%
Fall & spring = 60-73%
Summer = 65-73%
78. Des Moines – Iowa (2015-19; 5-year average)
Winter < 40°F
Fall & spring = 50-60°F
Summer = 60-77°F
Continuous Aeration of a Grain Pile
Winter R.H. = 70-75%
Fall & spring = 60-73%
Summer = 65-73%
Average Temperature = 52.2 +/- 19.0°F Oct-Mar = 36.2°F
Average Relative Humidity = 70.2 +/- 6.0% Oct-Mar = 71.3%
79. Des Moines – Iowa (2015-19; 5-year average)
Continuous Aeration of a Grain Pile
15%
13%
Oct-Mar = 36.2°F EMC = 15.7% Maize Wet bulb = 32.8°F
Oct-Mar = 71.3% EMC = 13.9% Soybeans
47 F
80. Des Moines – USA (2016)
Continuous Aeration of a Grain Pile
41 50 59 63 68 77 81 86
~5 months when ambient
temperatures are below 40°F
for at least 300 h of aeration
time each month (50% of time)
Suitable airflow: 0.05-0.1 cfm/bu
Oct-Mar = 36.2°F EMC = 15.7% Maize Wet bulb = 32.8°F
Oct-Mar = 71.3% EMC = 13.9% Soybeans
81. Des Moines – USA (2016)
Continuous Aeration of a Grain Pile
41 50 59 63 68 77 81 86
~6.5 months when ambient
temperatures are below 50°F
for at least 300 h of aeration
time each month (of time)
Suitable airflow: 0.05-0.1 cfm/bu
Oct-Mar = 36.2°F EMC = 15.7% Maize Wet bulb = 32.8°F
Oct-Mar = 71.3% EMC = 13.9% Soybeans
82. Des Moines – USA (2016)
Continuous Aeration of a Grain Pile
41 50 59 63 68 77 81 86
3 m x 30 d x 24 h
= 2,160 hours
Apr-Sep = 68.3°F EMC = 13.7% Maize Wet bulb = 61.7°F
Apr-Sep = 69.0% EMC = 12.5% Soybeans
85. Summary – Managing Aeration Shrink Loss
1. Aeration cooling of grain follows the wet bulb
temperature
line on the psychrometric chart
2. For given air properties, the dry bulb temperature
the grain will cool to and the moisture content the
grain will equilibrate towards can be calculated
based on equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and
equilibrium relative numidity (ERH) relationship
3. Shrink loss due to aeration cooling can be calculated
based on evaporative cooling effect
4. Shrink loss costs includes moisture loss and electric
fan energy due to excessive operation
86. S.L.A.M. Step 4: Monitoring
• Temperature
• Moisture
• CO2
• Molds (cause spoilage and hot spots)
• Insects
• Mold feeders are an early warning
• Population growth leads to “hot spots”
• Late summer pest control (fumigation)
• Rodents
87. As a rule of thumb, one cable monitors a radius of 9 feet.
88. Temperature Cable Placement Calculations
• Sensors are typically 7 ft apart along a cable
• Assume sphere with a radius of 3.5 ft around
each sensor without overlap between sensor
volumes, the three cable configurations would
represent…
94. How does “no cables” sensing technology work?
• Measures T, RH and CO2 of air in
headspace above and/or plenum
below the stored grain mass
• Calculates EMC of the headspace or
plenum air when fan is off or inlet air
and exhaust air when fan is on
• All sensors and fan controllers
communicate as a stand alone cellular
connection to the Amber cloud
95. • Advantages:
• Easy installation
• Easy serviceability
• Less expensive (11 cents/bu)
• No cables in grain mass
• No structural roof issues
• Automatic fan control
• No interference
• Disadvantages:
• No in-grain temperature and
moisture sensing
Summary: More Advantages than Disadvantages
100. • Up to 600 ppm: stable grain at safe storage MC
• 600-1500 ppm: on-set of mold growth
• high grain storage temperatures
• moisture condensation on grain surface, or
• moisture infiltration into structure
• 1500 to 4000 ppm: active grain spoilage
• high biological activity in portions of grain mass
• severe mold development, or
• severe stored-product insect infestation
Interpreting CO2 concentrations
101. 1. Stored grain conditions can be monitored with
temperature, moisture and CO2 sensors
• Beware of number of cables and their placement
2. Regular monitoring of stored grain conditions
allows for early spoilage detection and proactive
operations management action
3. Early detection of spoilage using CO2 monitoring
saves time and money
• New “no cables” technology provides plug-n-play
options and automated fan control
Summary – Stored Grain Conditions
Monitoring
104. S.L.A.M.
Best Stored Grain Management Practices
• Prepare/clean your storage bins for new crop harvest
• Dry grain then store at safe storage moisture content
• Core & “un-peak” grain mass after loading bins
• Aerate to cool grain (not shrink it) then seal fans
• Manage headspace conditions with intermittent
ventilation
• Monitor grain regularly for CO2, surface condensation,
temperature, insect activity, mold development
105. Contact Information
Dr. Dirk E. Maier, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor of Grain & Feed Operations & Processing
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering Department
Post-Harvest Engineer
Iowa Grain Quality Initiative
3325 Elings Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa, U.S.A.
dmaier@iastate.edu