DDG moisture is important when it comes to the distillation process of ethanol from crops such as corn, sorghum or barley. DDG – Dried Distiller’s Grains – are produced as cereal byproducts. They are mainly used as fuel sources, animal/livestock feed, pet food or fishing bait.

Moisture content is an essential aspect when conditioning feeds because during conditioning the most common target moisture range at conditioner discharge is between 15-17%. Too much moisture can plug the pellet mill so tt is suggested that pellets need to achieve final moisture content below 13% in order to be safe for storage.

Proper conditioning prior to pelleting has several potential benefits:

• including increased pellet durability index
• increased starch gelatinization and protein structures, which improves the binding of the ingredients
• potential pasteurization
• destruction of some insect eggs

MoistTech’s Solution

MoistTech is recognized as the world leader in NIR (Near-Infrared) moisture measurement technology and unlike competing instruments, a few unique features of the IR3000 include:

• monitoring the product even with small gaps in product flow
• unaffected by ambient light without impacting the accuracy
• Insensitive to material variations such as particle size, material height & color
• provide continuous, reliable readings with zero maintenance
• requires a one-time calibration
• manufactured with a non-drift optical design allowing operational personnel to make immediate process adjustments based on real-time data
• typical accuracy is about ±0.1% moisture
• typical analog range is 0-10% moisture and up to as much as 40%, subject to application
• Outputs can be adjusted to optimize PLC or recording requirements

Installation

The durable IR-3000 moisture sensor can be installed at conveyors, in down chutes, or in storage bins. The sensor should be positioned directly over the product for continual automatic readings or instantaneous manual readings. It is delivered pre-calibrated for your specific application. For installation instructions, including the use of the option base and stand, please consult the IR-3000’s complete installation instructions.