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BulkDry

A suite of three programmes that simulate the drying and cooling of bulk grains and oilseed rape can be downloaded.  

BulkDry 

The BulkDry programme simulates the drying of wheat/barley by an on-floor or deep-bin drier using air at near ambient temperature and relative humidity. It displays the results in graphical form as drying progresses. It calculates the moisture content of the grain in the bed as a series of layers, and then calculates the likelihood of spoilage (risk of Ochratoxin A formation) occurring in each layer. It also simulates the effects of heaters and dehumidifiers using a variety of control strategies and allows interactive modification of the control strategy during drying. The simulation runs using weather data and the user is able to obtain (for a small cost) local weather data and hence the simulation can be tailored for farms throughout the UK. (Weather data is only available via an internet link.)

BulkDry Rape 

BulkDry Rape is broadly similar to the BulkDry programme but calculates the risk of spoilage based on visible mould formation.   All other features are the same.

BulkCool 

BulkCool allows you to run cooling simulations for either wheat/barley or oilseed rape.  It gives the option of three control strategies, timer only, a single thermostat and a differential thermostat.   This allows a comparison of control methods and hence the time and cost required to cool grain or oilseed effectively.  In addition, by altering bed depth or fan power the simulation can be aligned with actual cooling situations.   As with the two BulkDry programmes the user is able to download local weather data from previous seasons.

To install:

1. Download the installer file from the link below (Please note that the file is nearly 7MB in size so will take a while to download if you're not using a broadband connection - if you are unable to download the software it will be available on the next release of Crop Oracle.)
2. Extract 'setup.exe' from the downloaded 'bulkdry_setup.zip' file
3. Double-click on the 'setup.exe' file and follow the onscreen installation instructions

BulkDry, BulkDry Rape and BulkCool installer   (6627kb)

For assistance with installation please contact webmaster@hgca.com