Bedding Dryers
Bedding Dryers reduce the moisture content in sand and manure bedding using relatively simple and proven rotary drying technology. Dry bedding requires little or no conditioning and can be used immediately following its discharge from the Bedding Dryer.
Drier bedding means less moisture is brought into the barns and freestalls. Since moisture is one of the three things needed for bacterial growth, reducing it also reduces the bacteria’s ability to grow and creates a healthier environment for the cows.
Why McLanahan Bedding Dryers
McLanahan Bedding Dryers are designed and built for optimal thermal efficiency to keep operational costs as low as possible. Bedding material is retained in the dryer just long enough to remove moisture and achieve maximum pathogen kill before exiting the system.
High temperatures in the McLanahan Bedding Dryer system quickly and efficiently reduce moisture and kill pathogens that lead to poor cow health and low milk quality. The result is cleaner, drier bedding that can be reused instantly. In the barns, the freestalls are cleaner and more comfortable, ultimately resulting in healthier cows with higher milk production and lower somatic cell counts.
McLanahan Bedding Dryer systems are designed for quick, easy installation with minimal costs. Multiple sizes and many options are available to suit almost any drying need. The most common size systems arrive mounted on a frame. Simply attach and level the feet, mount the required ductwork and collectors, hook up the electricity, connect the energy source for heat, and you’re ready to produce cleaner, drier bedding. McLanahan Bedding Dryers are flexible and can operate on natural gas, propane, diesel, or on biogas produced from anaerobic digestion.
McLanahan Bedding Dryers require minimal operator interaction. Exhaust temperatures are monitored, helping to indicate the dryness of the material. Once a target exit temperature is established and set, the system automatically adjusts to maintain that desired exit temperature, ensuring a consistent final product. To feed the system, a hopper supplies material to the dryer at a constant rate. At the discharge, conveyors move the finished product to the desired storage location. The finished product is ready for bedding with no further handling required.
How Bedding Dryers Work
Bedding Dryers use rotary drying technology to reduce the moisture content in freestall bedding. The wet bedding is introduced into the system along with heat and air. As the material tumbles through the Bedding Dryer, heat and air pull the moisture out. The drier product is collected at the end, while the air and moisture are exhausted.
Bedding Dryer systems contain several key components. The burner and furnace provide a consistent heat source. The insulated drum, which contains lifters and flighting, lifts the material as it rotates and showers it into the heated air. The combination of flighting and air flow move the material through the drum to the discharge end, where a product collector allows the dried material to settle out of the air stream. The air continues to a cyclone, where smaller, lighter material is pulled out. Airlocks control the material and air flow out of the product collector and cyclone. A fan, located at the outlet of the cyclone, pulls the air and moisture through the system and exhausts it to the atmosphere.
A consistent feed is important for the system's operation, so a hopper and conveyor system is used to meter the correct amount of bedding material into the Bedding Dryer. At the discharge end, a conveyor system is used to move and stack the dried bedding.
