Auto-Stirring Grains Bed Dryer as an Innovative Efficiency Solution

¹ Doctoral Program of Mechanical Engineering, Diponegoro University, Semarang - Indonesia
² Engineering Business Unit Division, PT Pura Barutama, Kudus - Indonesia
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Semarang – Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: dsjechlad@gmail.com

Abstract

The government has budgeted assistance/grants continuously many bed dryers to farmers but many of them were not used because farmers felt that the drying production rate of rice is more expensive than the traditional open sun drying. The farmers choose to go back to the traditional way that takes the drying process longer than using the dryer. For 1 year, open sun drying can process 100 batches, and dryer can process 450 batches. This research tries to solve the high cost problem by looking for a new alternative solution. The solution is replacing the oil burner with a rice husk burner, which is appropriate both economically and environmentally. For the stirring mechanism, this system must continuously stir up the pile of grains during the drying process. The point must be fulfilled is that the total cost of the drying process should not rise, especially the cost of the stirring process. A stirrer mechanism that needs smaller power than the maximum power setting is made. Farmers’ income for this innovative modification will get a 332% increasing profit than using oil burner bed dryer machine and will get a 41% increasing in welfare than using the standard husk burner bed dryer.