Blog

18 things to consider when buying a dryer

14 March, 2024 | Megan Burney | Blog, Technology

Here are Oliver’s top 18 things to consider when buying a dryer. It doesn’t matter if this is your first dryer or your tenth, this list provides some critical considerations to ensure your new Oliver separates itself from the competition with an issue-free deployment.

1. Installation location
   1. Do you have a right- or left-hand machine?
   2. Is there ample space around the machine to operate and maintain your equipment?
2. Installation infrastructure
   1.  What are your buildings’ electrical requirements?
   2. Are they sufficient to support the full load of amps required by your new dryer?
   3. How long would it take to upgrade your electrical infrastructure to support your new machine?
3. Installation timeline
   1. When do you need your new dryer online?
   2. Is there an agreed-upon deployment timeline between your supplier and local crews?
   3. What are the consequences of a missed deployment date
   4. Have you built in sufficient “buffer” time to account for unexpected delays?
4. Dust extraction/collection
   1. What are the cleanliness and safety standards for your location?
   2.  Do you know the CFM (cubic feet per minute) requirement based on your specific application?
5. Product application
   1. Size, density (ensure machine is set up properly, lighter product is run on a B machine and heavy on a machine) more than one application/product, may need a different deck.
6. Capacity goals
   1. Do you have the right equipment to hit your processing targets?
7. Equipment sequence
   1. Which machines are placed up- and down-stream of your dryer?
   2. Do the capacities of your other machines align with those of your dryer (you are only as fast as your slowest machine!)?
8.  Connectivity requirements
   1. Do you need to connect your equipment to a plant SCADA system?
   2. Do you require an Internet connection for remote support or to “speak” to other machines?
9. Operators
   1. Do you know who will be operating your new dryer?
   2. Are they trained on the equipment?
   3. Do they know how to use dryers with manual and/or automatic capabilities?
10. Maintenance plan
    1. Is your maintenance staff located on- or off-site?
    2.  Does your support team have the training to effectively service your equipment?
    3. Do you have a necessary inventor of replacement parts on-hand?
11. New or existing location
    1.  Do you have the appropriate resources, such as space, electrical, and ventilation to support your new dryer?
12. Type of drying application
    1. Are you applying seed treatment, coating, encrustment/pelleting, bean, or edible washing?
13. Types of chemicals
    1. What chemicals are you applying to your seed?
    2. Do you know the fluid load rate?
14. Treatment application
    1. Are you using a continuous or batch-style treater?
    2. What brand of treater are you using?
15. Moisture content
    1. What is the moisture content of your seed before drying?
16. Temperature
    1. What is the maximum allowable product temperature?
17. Facility temperature range & geography
    1. What range of temperatures are present at your facility?
    2. What range of humidity is present at your facility?
18. Heat sources
    1. Does your installation have the utilities required to power the heat source (Oliver does not provide utility commissioning)?

Now that you know what to consider when buying a new dryer, contact your Oliver Manufacturing representative and ask them to help you find the right solution for your situation.