Design of small autotracking solar collector drier for maize ears

In order to reduce drying time and cost of seeds drying process of maize ears, a kind of small autotracking solar-air drier for maize ears was designed based on abundant light, heat and dry air resources in Northwest China. The overall structure as well as critical component such as energy collection, drying equipment, control system and air blower were designed according to the local climate conditions. Experimental results showed that the drier could dry 500 kg of fresh maize ears with the moisture content (wet base) from 25% to 14% in 5 d (36 h), and it could save 7 h compared to that with fixed solar collectors. The average drying rate increased from 0.256%/h to 0.306%/h, which met the design objective and requirements for storage and drying process of maize ears and other agricultural products.