by hjubm2 » Fri Mar 18, 2022 8:32 pm
I was thinking of using the mixer from my boiler the turn the grain. It uses a 2" tri-clamp fitting and has a speed controller attached so nice & easy to retrofit when needed. The auger will be a basic frame that i can attach different size auger width sections until i can find the right size for the tirning needed. From what i can see it doesn't need much turning, just a slow turn to not disturb it too much & to not effect the roots etc but enough to make sure it doesn't clump.
In regards to size, best reference i can find is that maoze (corn) & buckwheat are the grains that swells the most at about 65% so I'm planning to allow atleast double the space for the amount of grain, allowing about 1kg =1L (really rough figures, not accurate at all) so with a 200L drum for trials, removing a bit for the false bottom etc would leave around 180L of room (hopefully) so batches should be about 90kg at a time...
Hardest problem will be with the kilning. Depending on what temperature levels your planning to go to. With a flat bottom & a single inlet for hot air I'm struggling to work out a way to get the airflow/temperature stable across the whole grainbed. Might not be an issue with a smaller container size though and if only going to lower temps/not wanting commercial quality/consistency?