Lecturers and students build mobile grain dryers for farmers

Rice, beans, corn or coffee beans can all be dried quickly thanks to the mobile grain dryer, eliminating the worry of drying agricultural products in storms.

Dr. Ngo Phi Manh, Dr. Nguyen Thi Cuc and two students (far right) built a mobile grain dryer - Photo: NV

This mobile grain dryer was made by a group of lecturers and students from the University of Technology - Danang University.

From the desire to help farmers

During the summer-autumn rice drying season, storms always come unexpectedly. At times like these, farmers have to rake the rice faster than the rain, because just a little delay could wash away all the day's effort.

Now, that hardship can be reduced, thanks to the mobile grain dryer of the research team including Dr. Ngo Phi Manh and Dr. Nguyen Thi Cuc, two lecturers in the department of thermal and refrigeration technology, and students in the department of manufacturing.

Sharing about the original idea, Dr. Ngo Phi Manh said: "The device was created with a simple desire to help people's agricultural products dry even when it rains."

As a child from a poor rural area in the Central region, having experienced many times the scene of constantly "watching" for rain while drying rice, Mr. Manh clearly understood the feelings of his family at that time.

Just a sudden rain and the rice must be dried again from the beginning, and the quality of the rice also decreases significantly.

That situation prompted the research team to start manufacturing a portable agricultural dryer, with a compact design, just enough for households.

The machine is also suitable for the characteristics of farmers in the Central region, most of whom have small agricultural areas, each household usually only cultivates a few fields.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Cuc added that when using the machine to dry rice in Thu Bon commune, Da Nang city, the results showed that the machine can dry 650 - 700 kg of rice/batch (14 to 15 bags) in 4 - 6 hours. The cost ranges from 30,000 - 45,000 VND for electricity, and 20 - 25 kg of firewood.

The machine was brought to dry rice in Thu Bon commune, Da Nang city - Photo: NV

Fuel-based grain dryer

To use the dryer, farmers will fill the drying tower with agricultural products, close the bottom valve to keep the seeds inside. Then turn on the drying fan, smoke exhaust fan, light the combustion chamber and add fuel to maintain the fire during the drying process.

The air passing through the heater will be heated indirectly by smoke, so the machine heats up without smelling of smoke. During the drying process, the fire can be adjusted to change the temperature, as well as check the dryness of the grain through the inspection door. When the grain reaches the desired dryness, the farmer opens the bottom discharge valve and takes out the grain.

Many farmers who tested the machine shared the same opinion that the highlight of this machine is that it is easy to operate, uses locally available fuels such as firewood, corn cobs, sawdust, and produces a product that dries evenly, does not smell or burn.

Not only rice, the machine also effectively dries other agricultural products such as beans, corn, coffee...

The dryer is applicable for all kinds of agricultural products in grain form, drying evenly without burning - Photo: NV

The research team said they will continue to manufacture more automatic systems to feed agricultural products into machines to replace the current manual method.

"The machine is equipped with sensors and a control system that requires high precision, so the manufacturing cost is about 100 million VND. Commercialization is completely feasible if we optimize the equipment to reduce costs, suitable for a commercial product sold on the market," said Mr. Manh.

PHAN NGUYEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giang-vien-sinh-vien-che-tao-may-say-hat-di-dong-cho-nong-dan-20250918131431821.htm