As already mentioned, the Italian manufacturer of cereal dryers, the company Bonfanti – Cereal Dryers, operates across several locations in Europe.
Specifically, over the last ten years, it has been able to expand the range of its plants within the context of the Ukrainian market, achieving significant results and always maintaining the high level of quality standards that our company set itself from day one.
In terms of numbers, during this period about 140 dryers have been installed, and this number is still growing. Every year we introduce technological integrations that our research and development department has put into play, as we continuously work to offer the best results.
Over the last three years, the technology produced by Bonfanti – Cereal Dryers has in fact improved considerably. This was made clear by the manager Aleksey Krivulchenko, who told farmers about the latest technological innovations during the exhibition at the Grain Tech fair in Kiev, Ukraine.
During the fair, fruitful discussions were held on various aspects of the Bonfanti line of cereal dryers, touching on relevant issues in terms of both efficiency and warranty. Ranging from all the fundamental aspects that affect this type of agricultural machinery; the issue of the environment (all too often ignored by other companies) was also touched upon, with the aim of having a product in line with ecological regulations. All these aspects were discussed by Bonfanti’s Ukrainian colleague who, in his presentation, underlined how Bonfanti cereal dryers can first and foremost dry any type of cereal, from sunflower to sorghum and even flax, while always maintaining the very high levels of quality and safety with every production cycle. When it comes to corn in particular, the dryer can remove moisture from 35% to 14% in a single cycle, through a process that lasts around 5 hours. The many working programs (all rigorously automated and selectable according to the various needs that each customer may have) offer different possibilities of use, reaching percentage thresholds from 28% to 14% in the removal of the total moisture content, through a process lasting about 3 hours. According to technical manager Aleksey Krivulchenko, this drying process has no effect on the quality of the cereal, as the dryer is made up of two parts (we can say two dryers), an upper dryer and a lower one. The drying process begins in the upper part and ends in the lower part, so that the cereal is not exposed to thermal shock, an important factor for the success of a process that aims at quality and not just quantity. An aspect that can be defined as one of the “details that make the difference” and that Bonfanti – Cereal Dryers has always had the pleasure of highlighting as the end result is the manufacture of high-quality agricultural machinery for drying cereals. The gas consumption of Bonfanti cereal dryers is 1.02 m³ per 1 tonne/percentage, with the possibility of having machines powered by different fuel systems also being specified (a key argument that really makes the difference). These range from gas and diesel to biomass, and in any case boast the possibility of carrying out very high-quality processes while maintaining the highest standards in terms of efficiency, energy savings and capital for the end customer. The latter will have at their disposal an automated piece of machinery that is excellent not only in terms of cost management, but also in terms of energy savings. Bonfanti cereal dryers also have a double recovery system as well as an intelligent temperature maintenance system that offers the possibility of saving even more. In addition, these dryer models can also operate with alternative fuels, in particular steam or sunflower-waste pellets, of which there are already some examples working in Ukraine that have received great recognition beyond the always very high-quality standards, finding particular interest from customers with unique needs in terms of power supply and machine efficiency. Alexei Krivulchenko explains that the Bonfanti cereal dryers are very easy to manage, intuitive and profitable, thanks to the updated software in constant development. The work programs are in fact developed in such a way that the task of the operator is as simple as possible. The control panel has also been improved, the screen has in fact become larger, reaching up to 12 inches with colour and touch-screen functionality. “On each screen displayed on the control panel, the operator can select the necessary function, pre-installed work programs, and modify the various parameters of each machining operation at the touch of a finger, while also having the possibility of constantly monitoring the entire operating phase and the individual reference values. For example, you can control the temperature or humidity of the cereal in any part of the dryer, the processing times and the various levels, constantly having precise analysis of what is happening. Optionally, all indicators can be transferred to a computer in the office or laboratory using a LAN network cable, making operations more versatile and more efficient in terms of control. So not only will the operator be able to observe the operation of the dryer during all phases of the work, but they will also be able to get lots of real-time feedback, both directly and from other colleagues,” says Aleksey Krivulchenko. He also stressed that the dryer, thanks to its software, prevents human error that could damage both the machine and the cereal, compromising the production cycle and causing economic damage of several thousand euros. In terms of maintenance, there has also been a significant step forward, in fact the cleaning program, which was monitored and started manually on previous models, now has the ability to automatically notify the operator of the most appropriate time to start cleaning, making wasted time less and less present by automating the processes even more. Such features make our machines a real flagship in terms of efficiency, as well as quality. It was also noted that additional temperature sensors have been installed in Bonfanti cereal dryers throughout their entire height so as to control the final product in all its aspects. Moisture sensors have also been improved, which now only have a 0.3% margin of error, making it possible to accurately determine the moisture content of the cereal in the dryer in its entire volume and throughout the entire processing cycle. “Burners have always been the very heart of the dryer, but we have now begun using intelligent burners, which are modulated in such a way as to regulate the amount of gas that needs to be supplied to the dryer to initiate and deliver the entire drying process,” says Aleksey Krivulchenko. The dryer body has recently been equipped with the strongest reinforcements and the highest quality metal insulation panels, which act as a kind of “air envelope”, a unique process that helps preserve heat. After hearing the presentation and being particularly interested, the participants of the Grain Tech fair asked their questions. In particular, regarding how ecological Bonfanti cereal dryers are; issues which today are of considerable importance (the environmental aspect) and which our company has never overlooked. In response to this question, Alexey Krivulchenko said that the dryers comply with the regulations on emissions from the dryer into the atmosphere, resulting in machines that are truly ecological and of high quality. “First of all, it should be noted that the air speed in the dryer is not high, so any dirt from the central part is not expelled. Secondly, when the cereal is discharged from the dryer, in about half a second before the opening of the lower discharge damper, the fans close, making it even more difficult to spread dirt into the work environment. The cereal moves in a closed air state and this discharge lasts about 1 second. The damper closes, the cereal falls, the fan reopens and the work continues. Thanks to this technology, emissions are almost completely non-existent. We have specific examples of cases in which our dryers have been installed near residential areas, as in the case of the Bila Zerkva centre, the Belotserkovkhlebo product, where our dryer has been operating for 5 years with maximum efficiency, maintaining the very high standards of Bonfanti – Cereal Dryers and offering performance that is also the highest in ecological terms, respecting all regulations on emissions into the atmosphere required by law. A distance of about 100 metres from private houses and 300 metres from 9-storey blocks of flats is always maintained. When the dryer is in operation, the steam comes out but without traces of dust”, says Bonfanti’s colleague. As far as the warranty period is concerned, the complete guarantee for all models of dryers, and for any spare part (whether of an electronic, pneumatic or mechanical nature) is 2 years, while for metal structures, the warranty is 10 years. In concluding, it is stated that the dryer in question is built in Aluzinc.