Mobile drying equipment supports farmers in the rainy season

To help farmers proactively preserve agricultural products after harvest, regardless of weather conditions, a group of lecturers and students from the University of Technology (University of Danang) successfully researched and manufactured a mobile drying device. The product helps dry effectively, prevents mold, and contributes to reducing post-harvest damage.

Lecturers and students next to the device created by the research team. Photo: THU HA

Solving the problem of agricultural products in the rainy season

The research team includes lecturers Dr. Ngo Phi Manh, Dr. Nguyen Thi Cuc and two students Nguyen Thanh Nhan and Doan Nguyen Thuan, Faculty of Thermal and Refrigeration Technology, University of Science and Technology, University of Danang .

Representative of the group of lecturers, Dr. Ngo Phi Manh said that currently after harvesting agricultural products, farmers mainly still use natural drying methods (sun drying), which depends entirely on the weather.

However, in the summer-autumn season, the weather is often unstable, sudden thunderstorms or prolonged tropical depressions greatly affect the drying process, leading to the risk of agricultural products becoming moldy, losing quality or being damaged.

From there, the group had the idea of ​​creating a mobile drying system that is designed and operated simply and effectively; does not require much manpower, contributing to solving the problem of rural labor shortage.

The agricultural product drying equipment consists of: the body of the drying tower, the exhaust fan, the supply fan (supplying air to the combustion chamber), the smoke-gas heating device and the hot air channel system in and out of the drying tower. The equipment is installed with a moving frame, suitable for the scale and farming conditions of the Central region.

Mobile drying equipment when manufactured at the factory. Photo: THU HA

According to Dr. Ngo Phi Manh, the outstanding advantage of the drying equipment is that it can handle many types of agricultural products such as rice, beans, corn, coffee; the dried products do not have any odor or burn, and retain their original shape and are clean.

Commonly used fuels can be firewood, sawdust, corn cobs, etc. The convenience in use is that the machine can be mobile, making it easy for farmers to operate at a reasonable cost.

To test the machine, in early September 2025, the research team conducted a rice drying experiment in Thu Bon commune.

In practice, the theoretical drying time is 9 hours, but the group has experimented with drying rice after 6 hours. The device can dry 650 - 700kg of rice/batch (14 to 15 bags). The temperature of the hot air after heating to enter the drying tower can be raised above 100°C. The experimental results show that the rice dries evenly in 4-6 hours of drying with electricity costs ranging from 30,000 - 45,000 VND, 20-25kg of firewood.

“From this positive result, the group hopes that the product will be replicated in practice. People, cooperatives or businesses can contact the group for advice on designing and manufacturing equipment according to the desired productivity,” Dr. Nguyen Phi Manh expressed.

Bridge between lecturers and students

Participating in research and manufacturing with lecturers is an opportunity for students to apply the specialized knowledge they have learned into practice. Student Doan Nguyen Thuan shared that, in addition to expertise, teachers also guide the development of soft skills that students can apply in their future work such as the ability to search for documents in English, preparation and presentation skills, persuasive report writing skills, analysis and problem solving skills, etc.

The products were transported to Thu Bon commune for testing. Photo: NVCC

As for student Nguyen Thanh Nhan, directly participating in research helps him learn a lot of valuable knowledge and experience and practice meticulousness and carefulness from lecturers, problem-solving thinking as well as practical manufacturing skills... "I have a better understanding of the design and manufacturing process of a complete product, from sketching, choosing the structure, manufacturing, to assembly and testing.

From the manufacturing practice, I understand better the difficulties that can arise when turning theory into applied products. Hopefully, the mobile drying device that the group has manufactured can be widely applied in practice, contributing to improving product quality and minimizing post-harvest losses,” Nhan shared.

Mobile drying equipment when the research team tested drying rice in Thu Bon commune. Photo: NVCC

These project models are one of the effective ways to connect lecturers and students in scientific research. According to Dr. Ngo Phi Manh, every year the University of Technology launches scientific research activities, which is the bridge for those who love scientific research.

When the research topic is implemented in the right field and has high feasibility, it will attract enthusiastic participation from students. From these experiences, students will become more mature, have a good foundation to continue to develop in the field of expertise or in-depth research in the future.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/thiet-bi-say-di-dong-ho-tro-nong-dan-mua-mua-3303772.html