FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a kit for converting a storage bin with a hopper bottom configured to release an airflow to the interior of the bin for use to dry stored flowable particulate material, such as grain, and a related method of operating the storage bin to dry stored flowable particulate material.

BACKGROUND

In hopper bottom type storage bins for bulk flowable particulate material such as grain, material lying in a central column vertically above a bottom discharge of the hopper bottom tends to be gravitationally discharged before material located to the side of the bottom discharge.

Furthermore, in storage bins with ventilated hopper bottoms, that is hopper bottoms which are configured to release an airflow into the bin, only a relatively thin layer of flowable particulate material in proximity of openings in the hopper bottom configured to release air is dried to an acceptable moisture content when air is released to the interior of the grain bin.

Thus, a conventional arrangement of storage bin with a ventilated hopper bottom is not particularly suited for releasing stored material of a desired moisture content lower than an initial moisture content of the material during filling of the bin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a kit for using a storage bin to dry flowable particulate material.

Typically the storage bin has: a hopper bottom arranged for resting on a support surface, a cylindrical side wall supported on the hopper bottom to define an interior of the bin for receiving the flowable particulate material, and a top wall supported on a top of the cylindrical side wall to close the interior of the bin, and the hopper bottom has: an inclined interior wall having an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a top end to a bottom end of the inclined inner wall, a bottom discharge at the bottom end of the inclined interior wall and configured for releasing stored particulate material from the interior of the bin by gravity, a plurality of openings in the inclined interior wall, wherein the openings are arranged in fluidic communication with a blower to receive an airflow therefrom and the openings are sized and shaped to enable release of the airflow into the interior of the bin without permitting passage of the flowable particulate material, wherein the openings are located within a central area of the inclined interior wall surrounding the bottom discharge so as to release the airflow from the central area of the inclined interior wall.

The kit comprises: a conical wall configured to be received in the interior of the bin and to support a weight of the flowable particulate material over the conical wall; wherein the conical wall comprises a wall portion locating a plurality of openings which are sized and shaped to permit passage of air without permitting passage of the flowable particulate material, wherein the wall portion has a cone shape so as to taper upwardly and inwardly from a bottom end to a top end; wherein the conical wall further comprises a support portion configured to support the wall portion over the hopper bottom; and wherein the conical wall is configured for mounting in the bin in a working position in which the bottom end of the wall portion: is located above the bottom discharge; encompasses the central area of the inclined interior wall where the openings are located; and is disposed in intimate but spaced relation to the inclined interior wall such that the flowable particulate material is enabled to pass between the bottom end of the wall portion and the inclined interior wall of the hopper bottom to form a layer thereon.

This arrangement acts to modify gravitational flow of material within the ventilated storage bin so as to provide a layer of flowable particulate material on the perforated interior wall of the hopper bottom suitable for drying of the material (that is, for reducing moisture content, in this case by passing an airflow through the material) and for subsequent gravitational release of the material from the bottom discharge, so that all of the discharged material is dried to a desired or prescribed moisture content.

Preferably, in the working position of the conical wall, the bottom end of the wall portion is disposed closer to the top end of the inclined interior wall than to the bottom end thereof.

When the bottom discharge of the hopper bottom comprises a gate which is movable relative to a discharge opening between a closed position, in which the gate obstructs the discharge opening to prevent release of the flowable particulate material to the exterior through the discharge opening, and an open position, in which the discharge opening is at least partially unobstructed to permit release of the flowable particulate material to the exterior through the discharge opening, and wherein when the bottom discharge includes an actuator configured for actuating movement of the gate between the closed and open positions, preferably there is provided a moisture sensor of the kit which is configured for detecting moisture content in the flowable particulate material at the bottom discharge and configured for operative communication with the actuator of the bottom discharge to activate movement of the gate to the open position when a detected moisture content lies below a threshold moisture content.

In one arrangement, the support portion of the conical wall is arranged for operative coupling to a support structure of the hopper bottom arranged for supporting the bottom discharge above the support surface.

When the hopper bottom comprises an inclined exterior wall connected to the support structure of the hopper bottom, wherein the inclined exterior wall has an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a top end to a bottom end of the inclined outer wall; a manifold formed between the inclined exterior and interior walls and arranged for fluidic communication with the blower so as to receive the airflow therefrom for release into the interior of the grain bin through the openings in the inclined interior wall; and a plurality of support members disposed in the manifold, wherein the support members are connected to the inclined exterior wall and are arranged to support the inclined interior wall in spaced relation to the inclined exterior wall, then the support portion of the conical wall may be configured to connect to the support members of the hopper bottom so as to transmit load forces on the conical wall to the support structure of the hopper bottom..

Preferably, the support portion comprises a plurality of support members arranged to extend downwardly from the bottom end of the wall portion for connecting to the hopper bottom and the support members include cut-outs at or adjacent lower ends of the support members arranged for connecting to the hopper bottom so as to form, with the hopper bottom, passageways for the particulate material to pass through to the bottom discharge.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for operating a storage bin to dry flowable particulate material, wherein the bin comprises a hopper bottom with openings in an inclined interior wall thereof and a cylindrical side wall supported on the hopper bottom, and wherein the openings in the interior wall are configured to release air without enabling passage of the flowable particulate material, the method comprising: with a perforated conical wall arranged inside the bin such that a bottom peripheral edge of the perforated conical wall is in intimate but spaced relation from the inclined interior wall of the hopper bottom, and after the bin has been filled with flowable particulate material so as to form a layer of the flowable particulate material on the inclined interior wall, releasing air into the bin from the hopper bottom to dry said layer of the flowable particulate material; and releasing the flowable particulate material from the hopper bottom after the layer of the flowable particulate material has reached a prescribed moisture content.

In one arrangement the method further comprises filling the bin with the flowable particulate material having an initial moisture content greater than the prescribed moisture content. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a configuration of hopper bottom with which the present invention is usable, which is taken along line 1 -1 in Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the hopper bottom configuration of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the area indicated at III in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a schematic top plan view of ducting of the hopper bottom configuration of Figure 1 , with an inner wall removed;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the area indicated at V in Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of another configuration of hopper bottom with different ducting, with which the present invention is usable, where a portion of an inner wall of the hopper bottom is removed to show this ducting;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the hopper bottom configuration of Figure 6 with the inner wall removed to show the ducting;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along line 8-8 in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of a kit according to the present invention; and

Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the kit of Figure 9, showing a grain bin having a hopper bottom, cylindrical side wall and top wall defining a fill opening which is covered by a replaceable cap;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the kit according to the present invention;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the kit of Figure 1 1 with select components omitted for clarity of illustration; and

Figure 13 is a close-up view of the area indicated at I in Figure 12.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accompanying figures show arrangements of hopper bottom indicated at 10 and 10’ for supporting a cylindrical side wall 1 (schematically shown in Figure 10) of a grain bin thereon.

The hopper bottom comprises an outer wall 12 which is arranged to be supported on a support surface, for example by having connected thereto a plurality of upstanding legs 14 at spaced locations thereon, such that bottoms 14A of the legs are adapted for resting on the support surface directly or for connecting to a footing which is adapted for resting on the support surface that interconnects multiples legs so that they are held in fixed relation to one another. The hopper bottom also includes a framework of braces 15 interconnecting the legs 14 and the outer wall 12 and, in some arrangements, interconnecting the legs 14. Typically, when the hopper bottom includes the legs 14, a bottom 16 of the outer wall 12 is held at a spaced height above the support surface.

The outer wall 12 is inclined and has an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a top end 17 to a bottom end defining the bottom 16 of the inclined outer wall. The conical inclined outer wall 12 encloses an upstanding axis 19 about which the outer wall is symmetrically shaped.

The outer wall 12 defines a discharge opening 21 for permitting passage of particulate material stored in the grain bin to an outside thereof. More specifically, it is the bottom end 16 of the inclined outer wall 12 that defines the discharge opening 21 , which is centrally located of the outer wall 12, for gravity discharge of the particulate material stored in the grain bin.

The hopper bottom further includes an inclined inner wall 24 which is supported in spaced relation vertically above the outer wall 12. Similarly to the outer wall 12, the inclined inner wall 24 has an inverted cone shape so as to taper downwardly and inwardly from a top end 27 to a bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall. Furthermore, also like the outer wall 12, the conical inclined inner wall 24 encloses an upstanding axis about which the inner wall is symmetrically shaped, which is a common axis as that of the outer wall that is indicated at 19. Thus, the inclined outer and inner walls 12, 24 are coaxial so as to enclose a common upstanding axis 19.

The top end 17 or 27 of either the inclined outer or inner wall 12, 24 is arranged to receive the cylindrical side wall 1 of the grain bin. In the first illustrated arrangement, this is achieved by providing a cylindrical collar 30 surrounding the top end 27 of the inner wall 24 which protrudes above the inner wall’s top end 27 so as to provide a circumferentially extending retaining rim or flange on an outside thereof. As the cylindrical side wall of the grain bin typically is sized substantially equal to a diameter of an inclined wall of the hopper bottom directly above which the particulate material is stored, which in the illustrated arrangement is defined by the inner wall 24, the bin side wall can be carried on the inner wall 24 and retained in location thereon by the collar 30. In the first illustrated arrangement, the collar 30 is a two-piece collar comprising an outer stiffener portion and an inner corrugated portion for substantially matingly sealing with a corrugated side wall of a grain bin.

In the second arrangement of Figures 6-8, it is the top end 17’ of the outer inclined wall 12’ which is arranged to receive the cylindrical side wall of the grain bin by including an outwardly extending generally horizontal ledge 31 on which the side wall can be rested to encompass the top end 27’ of the inner wall 24’. The cylindrical side wall which is sized slightly larger in diameter than the inner wall’s top end 27’ so as to be substantially equal thereto can then be fastened in fixed position to the hopper bottom at support members or brackets which carry the inner wall 24’ in spaced relation to the outer wall 12’.

The ledge 31 is provided by a structural support ring to which the top end 17 of the outer wall 12 is attached. The legs 14 of the hopper bottom are attached to the support ring 31 , which therefore interconnects the outer wall 12 and the legs 14, and there are provided gussets 32 to brace interconnection between the legs and the support ring. Thus, weight of particulate material stored in the bin is substantially carried by the outer wall 12 and a support structure of the hopper bottom arranged to support the outer wall with a bottom discharge in spaced relation above the support surface. In the illustrated arrangements, the hopper bottom support structure is formed by the legs 14 and the braces 15.

In order to permit the particulate material to exit the grain bin, the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24 defines an opening 33 that is in communication with the discharge opening 21 of the outer wall 12, such that the inner wall 24 also has a central discharge opening. Thus, there is formed by the coincident openings 21 and 33 (coincident with respect to location, relative to a radial direction of the hopper bottom) a discharge chute for gravity discharge of the particulate material stored in the grain bin, in which an upper end of the discharge chute is defined by the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24 and a lower end of the discharge chute is defined by the discharge opening 21 of the outer wall 12.

As the cylindrical side wall of the grain bin is supported on the inclined inner wall 24, such that the inclined inner wall 24 is presented for direct exposure and contact with the particulate material to be stored, the top ends of the outer and inner inclined walls indicated at 17 and 27 respectively are located at a substantially common radial distance from the common upstanding axis 19, such that the inclined inner wall 24 at least covers an upper portion of the inclined outer wall 12 spanning from the top end 17 of the inclined outer wall 12 towards the bottom end thereof. In the illustrated arrangement, the inclined inner wall 24 spans substantially a full radius of the inclined outer wall between the top and bottom ends 17, 16 thereof. More specifically, in the illustrated arrangement the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24 is recessed radially outwardly from the common upstanding axis 19 relative to the bottom end 16 of the inclined outer wall 12 such that the discharge chute formed between the bottom ends of the inclined inner and outer walls has an inverted cone shape between its upper and lower ends, so as to taper downwardly and inwardly in overall shape. Thus, the inclined inner wall 24 basically covers all of the outer wall 12 with the exception of an inner end portion 35 thereof surrounding the central discharge opening 21 . In other arrangements which are not shown, the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24 is disposed at an intermediary location between the top and bottom ends 17, 16 of the outer wall 12 but generally located closer to the bottom end 16 than to the top end 17 along a radial direction of the outer wall 12, such that the inner wall 24 covers a majority of the outer wall 12 leaving a lower portion thereof, larger than that indicated at 35 in the illustrated arrangement, exposed for contact with the stored particulate material. This allows an inclined hopper wall collectively formed by the inner and outer walls 24, 12 to maintain a generally inverted conical shape that is only downwardly inclined from its upper end to its lower end so that the stored particulate material can be discharged by gravity over a full diameter of the hopper bottom. The inner end portion 35 of the inclined outer wall is substantially smooth so that material which comes in contact with same is enabled to discharge by gravity through the central discharge opening 21.

In order to ventilate the stored particulate material such as grain so as to avoid spoilage thereof, the hopper bottom includes a manifold 39 formed between the inclined outer and inner walls 12, 24 that is arranged for fluidic communication with a blower 41 (schematically shown, in stippled line as it is hidden from view, but only in relation to the first arrangement for convenience of illustration) so as to receive an airflow from, and generated by, the blower 41 for release into an interior of the grain bin above the hopper bottom 10. The manifold 39 is arranged to distribute the airflow in a circumferential direction 43 relative to the common upstanding axis 19 and in a radial direction 44 relative thereto. In other words, the manifold 39 defines ducting formed between the outer and inner walls 12, 24 arranged for fluidic communication with the blower 41 for guiding air received therefrom between the outer and inner walls 12, 24.

In both illustrated arrangements, the manifold 39 spans a full radius of the inclined inner wall 24 so as to distribute the blower air generally in the radial direction 44, and also extends in a closed loop path encompassing the upstanding axis and adjacent the top end of the inner wall 24 so as to span a full circumference of the inner wall 24 so as to distribute the blower air generally in the circumferential direction 43. Thus, in both illustrated arrangements there is provided a common manifold 39 under substantially a whole of the inner wall 24, and the manifold 39 comprises a single inlet opening 46 (shown in stippled line in Figure 1 ) communicating with a single blower 41 located externally of the manifold.

In order to release the ventilation air supplied to the manifold 39 into the interior of the grain bin, a plurality of ventilation openings 49 (schematically shown as dots on only a portion of the inclined inner wall 24) are defined in the inclined inner wall 24 so as to communicate the manifold 39 with the interior of the grain bin to release the ventilation air upwardly into same, as shown by arrows 51 . The ventilation openings 49 are provided substantially across the full radius of the inclined inner wall 24 from the top end 27 to the bottom end 28 thereof such that the particulate material stored in the grain bin vertically above the inclined inner wall across the full radius thereof is ventilated by the ventilation air. So as to ensure that substantially all of the particulate material stored vertically above the inclined inner wall 24 receives ventilation air, the ventilation openings 49 are provided substantially across the full circumference of the inclined inner wall 24, though it will be appreciated that for clarity of illustration the openings 49 are shown only a portion of the inner wall 24. Thus, the inclined inner wall 24 provides a substantially smooth concave inclined interior surface 52 to enable gravity discharge of the stored material that is perforated so that the airflow supplied to the manifold can be released into the bin interior as indicated at 51 .

With reference to Figure 4, to guide the blower airflow for distribution across substantially a full interior surface area of the inner wall 24 as defined by perforated surface 52, as the manifold 39 extends in the circumferential direction 43 in order to distribute the airflow circumferentially of the inner wall, the hopper bottom 10 includes a plurality of substantially-radially extending support members 55 which are disposed in the manifold 39 at circumferentially spaced locations and are arranged to support the inclined inner wall 24 in spaced relation to the inclined outer wall 12. The radial support members 55 bridge between the inclined inner and outer walls 24, 12, which collectively define the manifold 39 therebetween, so as to span a full height of the manifold, and they extend from the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24 towards the top end 27 thereof so as to form ducts 56 within the manifold 39 between each circumferentially adjacent pair of the support members 55 for distributing the ventilation air in the radial direction 44. In both illustrated arrangements, the hopper bottom 10 is constructed by assembly of a kit of parts, including a plurality of concavely curved generally trapezoidal sheets which define the inner and outer walls. In the first arrangement 10 the support members 55 are formed by flanges, one of which is connected on one of an opposite pair of radially-extending sides of each perforated sheet 57 forming the inner wall 24 so as to form a foot for resting on an inner surface 58 of the outer wall. At an opposite side to the flange-footing, each perforated sheet 57 is connected to a circumferentially adjacent sheet at the side where its flange 55 is located. The flanges 55 are formed integrally with the perforated sheets 57. Thus, each of the ducts formed by the radial support members 55 lies beneath one of the perforated sheets 57.

As the manifold 39 spans the full circumference of the inclined inner wall 24 such that a common manifold is provided substantially under the whole of the inner wall, the radial support members 55 extend from lower ends 62 thereof which are coincident with the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall relative to a radial direction thereof to upper ends 64 of the support members (hidden from view in Figure 1 and therefore are shown in stippled line therein) which are spaced from the top end 27 of the inclined inner wall 24 such that the manifold comprises an annular upper portion 67 adjacent the top end 27 of the inclined inner wall, which spans the full circumference of the inclined inner wall 24, and a plurality of the ducts 56 in communication with the annular upper portion 67 on an inner side thereof and extending radially inwardly therefrom towards the discharge chute. As such, the single inlet opening 46 of the manifold communicating with the external blower 41 is located closer to the top end 17 than to the bottom end 16 thereof so as to be in communication with the annular portion 67, and more specifically the inlet opening 46 is coincident with the annular portion 67. In both illustrated arrangements, the blower 41 is communicated with the manifold 39 through the outer wall 12. The blower 41 is arranged to pressurize the manifold 39 sufficiently so as to provide an airflow for release over the full interior surface area of the inner wall 24 and for release at the discharge chute, as will be appreciated shortly.

In order to provide the fluidically uninterrupted upper portion 67 of the manifold 39, the top end 27 of the inclined inner wall is supported on a ledge 68 protruding inwardly from the collar 30. Furthermore, as more clearly shown in Figure 5, the perforated sheets 57 include substantially- radially extending braces 69 which generally are in alignment with the flanges 55, but which define substantial openings 70 through which the air can pass so as to circulate around the manifold in the circumferential direction 43.

Since the manifold 39 extends to the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall such that the airflow is available in the vicinity of the discharge chute, the manifold 39 is open below the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24 in the vicinity of the central discharge opening 21 of the outer wall such that the ventilation air is released in a radially-inward and downward direction towards the central discharge opening 21 , as indicated by arrows 71 . That is, the ducting under the inclined inner wall 24, that is formed between the outer and inner walls, is in communication with the discharge chute at a location between the upper and lower ends thereof and is arranged to emit the air from the blower 41 downwardly and inwardly so as to aid the gravity discharge of the particulate material through the discharge chute.

Furthermore, since the manifold 39 extends in the circumferential direction 43 such that the airflow is available at various circumferential locations around the central discharge opening 21 of the outer wall 12, the hopper bottom 10 includes openings 72 in communication with the manifold 39 around a full periphery of the outer wall’s central discharge opening 21 . In other words, the manifold 39 is open substantially about the full periphery of the central discharge opening of the inclined outer wall. Thus, the air for assisting the gravity discharge of the stored material is emitted substantially about the full periphery of the discharge chute. This keeps the material flowing downwardly and centrally through the outer wall’s discharge opening 21 while providing an extra downward push to urge the material more quickly out of the hopper bottom. In the first illustrated arrangement, the openings 72 each are collectively defined by the bottom end 28 of the inclined inner wall 24, the lower ends 62 of the circumferentially adjacent radial support members 55, and an upper surface of the outer wall 12.

In use, particulate material such as grain is stored in the grain bin formed by assembly of the cylindrical side wall on the hopper bottom 10 with a top wall 73 (schematically shown in Figure 10) closing an otherwise open top of the side wall 1 opposite to the hopper bottom. With the particulate material received in the bin, the hopper bottom 10 is substantially covered thereby such that interior surfaces of the hopper bottom including that indicated at 52 of the inclined inner wall 24 and that of the exposed inner end portion 35 of the inclined outer wall 12 are in contact with the stored material.

The blower 41 is operated so as to introduce an airflow through the inlet opening 46 to the common manifold 39. The upper annular portion 67 of the manifold distributes the airflow circumferentially of the hopper bottom in the direction indicated by arrows 43, which airflow also travels through the ducts 56 in the radially inward direction of the hopper bottom. As the airflow flows through the manifold 39, it is released upwardly into the interior of the grain bin through the ventilation openings 49 which are distributed substantially over the whole surface area of the inner wall 24, so as to ventilate the stored material. The stored material that is located in the discharge chute and vertically above same, so as not to be disposed vertically above any portion of the inclined inner wall 24, is ventilated by the airflow indicated generally by arrow 71 that is released through the openings 72 in fluidic communication with the discharge chute.

When it is desired to remove the material from the grain bin, a discharge gate (not shown) which is supported beneath the discharge opening 21 of the outer wall is movable relative thereto between a closed position in which the gate is covering the opening 21 , such that the material is retained in the grain bin, to an open position in which the discharge opening 21 is substantially unobstructed to permit the material to flow out of the bin by gravity. The blower 41 is also operable during discharge of the material so as to provide the airflow emitted from the openings 72 into the discharge chute, which acts to urge the material more quickly out of the bin than by gravity discharge alone. In other words, the airflow emitted into the discharge chute may increase the discharge rate of material stored above the hopper bottom by the bin formed thereby. Furthermore, the openings 72 provide a path for material or dust collecting in the manifold 39 to flow out thereof and, furthermore, out of the hopper bottom 10. Moreover, the airflow flowing in the direction of arrow 71 may act to carry this debris out of the manifold 39.

In another arrangement indicated at 10’ that is shown in Figures 6 to 8, the hopper bottom 10’ comprises a manifold 39’ with different ducting arranged to convey the ventilation air from at least one inlet opening 46’ in communication with the blower and located outwardly of a central discharge opening 2T of the hopper bottom 10’, but closer thereto than to top ends 17’, 27’ of hopper walls 12’, 24’, and in a circumferential direction 74 for radially outward conveyance in direction 45 along a plurality of radially extending manifold ducts 56’.

In this second arrangement 10’ the manifold 39’, similarly to the manifold 39, extends in the circumferential direction of the hopper bottom in a closed loop path 76 encompassing the upstanding axis 19 in order to provide circumferential circulation of the ventilation air. However, in contrast to the first arrangement 10, in the second arrangement 10’ substantially radially extending support members 77A and 77B of the hopper bottom 10’ extend from upper ends 64’ which are coincident with a top end 27’ of an inclined inner wall 24’ relative to the radial direction thereof 75 to lower ends 62’ of the support members 77A, 77B located at or adjacent a bottom end 28’ of the inclined inner wall so as to locate the closed loop path 76 adjacent the bottom end 28’ of the inclined inner wall, instead of adjacent the top end 27 as in the first arrangement as shown more clearly in Figure 4. Thus the manifold 39’ spans a circumference of at least a size of the central discharge opening 2T, and preferably that of a circular path larger than same as the lower ends 62’ are spaced radially outwardly from the discharge opening 2T. Furthermore, as in the earlier arrangement, this configuration of support members 77A, 77B also forms a plurality of ducts 56’ in communication with the closed loop path 76, where each duct is substantially defined between adjacent support members 77A, 77B. In the second arrangement 10’ the support member 77A, 77B are distinct from perforated sheets forming the inner wall 24’.

In the illustrated second arrangement 10”, the lower ends 62’ of a first subset of the support members, which are those indicated 77A, are spaced from the bottom end 28’ of the inclined inner wall 24’ and the lower ends 62’ of a second subset of the support members, that is those indicated at 77B, which are longer than those of the first subset are coincident with the inclined inner wall’s bottom end 28’. As each support member of the second subset 77B spans a full radius of the inclined inner wall 24’ between the top and bottom ends 27’, 28’, the members 77A, 77B of the second subset 77B define circulation openings 79 located along or coincident with the closed annular path 76 of the manifold 39’, which are arranged to permit the ventilation air to pass therethrough in the circumferential direction 43. Individual members of the first and second subsets 77A, 77B are arranged in alternating fashion at uniformly angularly spaced positions around the axis 19 of the hopper bottom. This may provide adequate structural support for the inclined inner wall 24’ in the radial direction 75 of the hopper bottom and in the vicinity of the central discharge opening 21 ’ where typically more material is stored vertically thereabove, so as to provide a larger load, while facilitating circumferential circulation of the ventilation air.

It will be appreciated that, in the second illustrated arrangement 10”, the support members 77A, 77B are in the form of channels with a pair of side walls 83 standing upwardly from an inclined outer wall 12’ of the hopper bottom 10’ and a base wall 84 spanning between the side walls 84 and connected to the inclined inner wall 24’. Thus the channels are generally inverted U- shaped. The side walls 83 of the members 77A, 77B are perforated as shown at 86 but in a manner arranged to substantially restrict the air to be conveyed along any one of the ducts 56’. Thus the circulation openings 79. The perforations 86 are each sized less than half of the size of an individual circulation opening 79, and in the illustrated arrangement they are triangular in shape acting primarily to reduce a mass of the respective support member 77A, 77B.

Furthermore, each circulation opening 79 comprises a pair of opposite, registered openings or apertures defined in the channel side walls 84 so that the ventilation air is enabled to flow through the respective support member 77A, 77B in a direction which is transverse to a direction of elongation of the member 77A, 77B.

For additional structural reinforcement the hopper bottom 10” further includes a plurality of substantially-radially extending auxiliary support members 89 each disposed intermediate respective ones of an adjacent pair of the support members 77A, 77B relative to the circumferential direction 74, regardless of subset 77A or 77B. Upper ends 91 of the auxiliary support members 89 are located at or adjacent the top end 27’ of the inclined inner wall 24’ and lower ends 92 of these members are spaced radially outwardly from the lower ends 62’ of adjacent ones of the support members 77A, 77B. Thus the auxiliary support members 89, which are about one-third in length in comparison to the first subset of support members 77A, lie along each duct 56’ being located at a radially outward-most end thereof so as not to substantially impede or alter the flow of ventilation air therealong. The auxiliary support members 89 are located at uniformly angularly spaced positions around the central axis 19 of the hopper bottom. Furthermore, the auxiliary support members 89 are of the same form as the support members 55 being inverted channels with perforated side walls.

To provide structural support for the inclined inner wall 24’ in the circumferential direction 74 of the hopper bottom 10” the same includes, along each duct 56’, a plurality of cross members 94A through 94C each spanning generally in the circumferential direction 74 between respective ones of an adjacent pair of the support members 77A, 77B at radially spaced positions from each other and arranged to support the inclined inner wall 24’ in spaced relation to the inclined outer wall 12’. The cross members 94A-C define, together with the inclined outer wall 12’, airflow control openings 97 which are sized to modulate flow of the ventilation air in the radial direction 75 along the ducts 56’ so that the ventilation air flows along substantially the full length of each duct. That is, each duct 56’ is constricted in cross-sectional size at select locations defined by the cross members 94A-C so as to be conducive to promoting the air to flow the full length (in the radial direction) of the duct, by momentarily accelerating the ventilation air as it passes through the respective airflow control opening 97.

Each cross member 94A, 94B or 94C is in the form of an arch having a pair of generally parallel upstanding legs 100 coupled to the inclined outer wall 12’ and a generally horizontally extending portion 101 bridging therebetween and meeting each leg 100 generally at a right angle. Thus, in the illustrated arrangement, the respective airflow control opening 97 is defined by a bottom 101 A of the portion 101 and inner sides 100A of the legs. A body of the cross member in the form of an arch-shaped plate is imperforate such that the ventilation air flowing transversely thereof is forced to flow through the opening 97 formed thereby of constricted size in comparison to a size of the duct 56’ on either side of the cross member.

It will be appreciated that in the illustrated arrangement the legs 100 of all of the cross members 94A-94C are of a substantially common width between outer sides 100B of the legs which are connected to adjacent ones of the support members 77A, 77B and the inner sides 100A each of which defines a respective one of the airflow control openings 97. However, of course the cross members 94A to 94C differ in overall width as defined between their outer sides 100B as the radially- extending ducts 56’ diverge in width in the radially outward direction 75 of the hopper bottom due to radially outward divergent relation of the support members 55 to each other. That is, along each duct 56’, the cross member 94A which is located closest to the central discharge opening 21 ’is the most narrow for each set of cross members collectively defined by the members 94A-94C lying along a common duct 56’. Furthermore, the cross member 94C which is located furthest outwardly from the discharge opening 21 ’ along the respective duct 56’ is the widest of the set of cross members for that duct.

In each of the ducts 56’ not having an inlet opening 46’ in communication with the blower to admit airflow therefrom into the manifold for subsequent circulation therein, the airflow control openings 97 collectively defined by the cross members 94A-C and the inclined outer wall 12’ are sized progressively smaller, with respect to a height direction between the inclined outer wall 12’ and bottom edges of the cross members extending generally in the circumferential direction 74 and disposed in opposite spaced relation to the inclined outer wall, which are defined by the bottoms 101 A of the portions 101 , in the radially outward direction 75 along the duct. In the illustrated arrangement, the progressive reduction in height of the airflow control openings 97 is applied to all of the ducts including those with an inlet opening in communication with the blower of which there is only one.

The hopper bottom 10’ comprises a single inlet opening 46’ for the manifold 39’ located closer to the bottom end than to the top end of the inclined inner wall 24’ however more specifically this opening 46’ is coincident with the closed loop path 76 that is located adjacent the bottom end 28’ of the inclined inner wall 24’; this inlet opening 46’ also is coincident with one of the radial ducts 56’. As such, the ventilation air flows from the blower opening 46’ substantially initially in a circumferential direction generally circulating the central discharge opening 21 ’ to reach radial ducts 56’ where the ventilation air is permitted to flow radially outwardly in the direction of arrow 75. In comparison to the first arrangement of hopper bottom 10, this may provide a shorter path along which the ventilation air flows for distribution to all radial ducts 56’ of the manifold, and may provide greater air pressure for subsequent flow or conveyance along each radially extending duct 56’.

The manifold 39’ is substantially closed at the bottom end 28’ of the inclined inner wall 24’ so as to substantially restrict the ventilation air to flowing in the closed loop path 76 which is defined adjacent the inclined inner wall’s bottom end 28’. In the illustrated second arrangement the manifold 39’ is closed by an imperforate annular plate-like member 105 encompassing the axis 19.

Figures 9-13 show a kit for using an aerated grain bin to dry grain, that is, for converting an aerated storage bin normally used to store flowable particulate material and to aerate stored material so that it maintains a substantially constant moisture content, so that the bin is usable to dry flowable particulate material to a desired moisture content.

The kit primarily comprises a conical wall 110 configured to be received in the interior of the grain bin, for example by sizing to fit inside the bin, and to support a weight of grain in the bin over the conical wall.

The conical wall 110 comprises a wall portion 111 with a cone shape so as to taper upwardly and inwardly from a bottom end 112, which is defined by a bottom peripheral edge, to a top end 114 of the conical wall, which is defined by a tip or apex. Thus the wall portion 11 1 defines an upper surface 116 which is sloped downwardly and outwardly from the tip 114 to the bottom edge 112.

The wall portion 11 1 locates a plurality of openings 1 17 (schematically shown) which are sized and shaped to permit passage of air without permitting passage of the flowable particulate material therethrough Thus the conical wall 1 10 is perforated. In the illustrated arrangement, the whole surface area of the conical wall is perforated, such that the openings 1 17 are distributed across the whole surface area, although in Figures 9 and 10 only a portion of the conical wall is shown as perforated for convenience of illustration.

The conical wall 1 10 further comprises a support portion 1 19 configured to support the wall portion 1 11 over the hopper bottom by operative coupling to the support structure of the hopper bottom, as will be better appreciated shortly. More specifically, the support portion 1 19 of the conical wall is configured to connect to the inclined interior wall support members 55/55’ so as to transmit load forces on the conical wall to the support structure of the hopper bottom.

In the illustrated arrangement, the support portion 119 comprises by a plurality of support members 120 configured for connecting to the hopper bottom and arranged to extend upwardly from the inclined interior wall 24. More specifically, the support members 120 extend substantially-radially, relative to either the hopper bottom or an upstanding axis 121 of the conical wall, from lower ends 120A connected to the hopper bottom to upper ends 120B of the support members which are connected with each other. The support members 120 are arranged at angularly spaced positions of the axis 121 of the conical wall, which is coaxial with the axis 19 of the hopper bottom. The support portion 1 19 includes interconnecting braces 122 which span between adjacent ones of the substantially radially-extending support members 120 at locations closer to their lower ends 120A than to their top ends 120B.

Thus, the wall portion 1 11 is formed by a perforated covering, in the form of a plurality of perforated sheets, carried by the support portion 1 19 which wholly underlies the wall portion. The support portion 1 19 extends beyond the bottom end or edge 112 to connect to the hopper bottom.

The perforated conical wall 110 is configured for mounting in the grain bin in a working position in which the bottom end 1 12 of the wall portion 11 1 has the following spatial relationships: the bottom end 112 is located above a bottom discharge BD of the hopper bottom, which typically includes a discharge opening 21 and a gate G that is actuated for movement relative to the discharge opening 21 between closed and open positions by a conventional actuator A (schematically shown); the bottom end 112 encompasses a central area 123 of an inclined interior wall 24 surrounding the bottom discharge BD and locating ventilation openings 49 which are sized and shaped to enable release of the ventilation air into the interior of the grain bin without permitting passage of the flowable particulate material therethrough; and the bottom end 112 is disposed in intimate but spaced relation to the inclined interior wall 24, leaving a gap 125, such that the flowable particulate material is enabled to pass between the bottom end 112 of the conical wall and the inclined interior wall 24 of the ventilated hopper bottom to form a layer on the inclined interior wall of the hopper bottom.

It will be appreciated that the central area 123 of the inclined interior wall 24 of the hopper bottom is essentially delimited by a projection of the bottom end 112 of the wall portion 111 on the interior wall 24. Although there may be ventilation openings in the interior wall of the hopper bottom beyond this central area, within the central area 123 there is formed, on the interior wall of the hopper bottom which supports the flowable particulate material, a thin layer of the material, which is better suited for drying as compared to an area of the interior wall uncovered by the perforated conical wall.

In the illustrated embodiment of Figures 9 and 10, the bottom edge 112 of the perforated conical wall is disposed at the top end 27 of the inclined interior wall 24. Since the whole of the inclined interior wall is perforated this maximizes the usable area of the hopper bottom for drying. However, as shown in the embodiment of Figures 1 1 and 12, the bottom edge 1 12 of the perforated conical wall is generally located closer to the top end 27 of the interior wall than to the bottom end thereof.

As the support members 120 extend downwardly beyond the bottom end or edge 112 of the wall portion 1 11 , so as to connect to the hopper bottom, the support radially-extending members 120 include cut-outs 126 at or adjacent the lower ends 120A so as to form, with the hopper bottom, passageways 128 for the particulate material to pass through to the bottom discharge BD. These passageways 128 are larger than the openings 1 17 in the wall portion and preferably are sized, in the radial direction, substantially equal to the gap 125 so that the annular gap 125 around the bottom end 1 12 of the wall portion is substantially uninterrupted by the support members 120. Thus, with the cut-out 126, the lower end 120A of each radial support member of the conical wall support portion is in the form of a pair of spaced apart legs which connect on either side to the radial support members 55/55’ of the hopper bottom manifold. Accordingly, the inclined interior wall includes openings (not shown) through which the support members 120 of the conical wall 1 10 pass to facilitate the structural interconnection in the described manner.

Further to the conical wall 110, the kit may comprise a moisture sensor 130 configured for detecting moisture content in the flowable particulate material at the bottom discharge BD. For example, the sensor 130 is mounted inside the grain bin generally at a height of the bottom discharge BD. The sensor 130 is configured for operative communication with the actuator A of the bottom discharge BD to automatically activate movement of the gate G to the open position when a detected moisture content lies below a threshold moisture content. Thus, in this manner, the particulate material will be released from the grain bin only when the moisture content is below the threshold moisture content, and otherwise the gate G is to remain in the closed position so that the moisture content of the material can be further reduced.

In use, with the perforated conical wall in the working position, particulate material such as grain is introduced into the grain bin so as to fill the bin. Generally speaking, this particulate material can be saturated with moisture so as to have an initial moisture content not suitable for storage, at which the material may spoil after a prolonged period of storage time.

When the material is deposited into the bin, the material gravitationally flows through the gap 125 formed between the bottom of the conical wall and the interior wall of the hopper bottom to form a layer of the flowable particulate material on the inclined interior wall of the ventilated hopper bottom. The gap 125 limits an amount of the material which can pass beneath the bottom edge 1 12 of the conical wall to reside on the interior wall of the hopper bottom. Thus is formed an air cavity in the interior of the grain bin between the conical wall 110 and the interior wall 24 of the hopper bottom where no material is received.

Air, which is preferably heated, is released into the grain bin from the hopper bottom to dry the layer of the flowable particulate material formed on the interior wall 24. This air passes through the layer of the particulate material on the interior wall 24 and eventually through the perforated conical wall 1 10 to the material received thereabove. Thus the openings 1 17 in the conical wall 110 prevent pressure build-up in the air cavity formed beneath the conical wall 110.

Then, the flowable particulate material is released from the hopper bottom when the layer of the flowable particulate material reaches a prescribed moisture content, which is a threshold moisture content defining a maximum moisture content which the released material can have to be considered ‘dry’. Generally speaking the prescribed moisture content is lower than an initial moisture content of the material when it was introduced or transferred into the grain bin.

Accordingly, there is herein disclosed a method for operating a grain bin to dry flowable particulate material, wherein the grain bin comprises a ventilated or aerated hopper bottom and a cylindrical side wall supported thereon, the method comprising the general steps of: arranging a perforated conical wall 1 10 inside the grain bin with a bottom peripheral edge 1 12 of the perforated conical wall in intimate but spaced relation from an inclined interior wall 24 of the ventilated hopper bottom; filling the grain bin with flowable particulate material so as to form a layer of the flowable particulate material on the inclined interior wall of the ventilated hopper bottom, wherein the material has an initial moisture content which is generally unsuitable for storage; releasing air into the grain bin from the hopper bottom to dry said layer of the flowable particulate material; and releasing the flowable particulate material from the hopper bottom after the layer of the flowable particulate material has reached a prescribed moisture content lower than the initial moisture content.

As described hereinbefore the present invention relates to a conversion kit for using a storage bin having a hopper bottom, which is configured to aerate stored material, to dry flowable particulate material comprises a perforated conical wall configured to be received in the interior of the bin and locating a plurality of openings sized and shaped to permit passage of air without permitting passage of the particulate material. The conical wall is configured for mounting in the bin in a position in which a bottom peripheral edge of the perforated conical wall (i) is located above a bottom discharge of the hopper bottom, (ii) encompasses a central area of an inclined interior wall of the hopper bottom in which aeration openings are located, and (iii) is disposed in intimate but spaced relation to the interior wall such that the particulate material is enabled to pass between the bottom edge of the conical wall and the interior wall of the hopper bottom to form a layer thereon.

The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the specification as a whole.