
Solutions for a Wet Corn Milling Plant
Customer’s Problem Dryer had Material Build-up and Tube Failures
When a prominent wet corn milling plant contacted Louisville Dryer Company for solutions to their drying problems, our process engineers promptly met with their production staff. Loss of their drying capability resulted in a loss of revenue for their company, a problem we were eager and fully equipped to help solve.
This processor had multiple dryers which were demonstrating broad swings in processing rates. The primary dryer in question was a rotating tube bundle dryer. The dryer had a stationary housing with a tube bundle that rotated inside the casing.
When they fired up their steam bundle, material would build up in the unit causing variations in retention time – which resulted in some under-drying and some over–drying of their product. The issue was exacerbated by two catastrophic failures of the tube bundle. Such unplanned outages can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs and millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Louisville Dryer Solutions for Wet Corn Milling Plant

Using custom mixing protocols to match their needs, we developed a successful recipe for their recycle stream. Along with our performance guaranty, the company engaged us to build a replacement steam tube dryer for their plant.

Steam tube dryers generally rotate at a slower speed and operate at a lower temperature than other rotary dryers. Within steam tube dryers, the material tumbles gently around the tubes which rotate with the shell. Once we custom fabricated their dryer, with Louisville Dryer field engineers on-site for installation and startup, the dryer ran exactly as we had designed and predicted.
This is but one of hundreds of examples of our commitment to high quality, long-lasting customer solutions using our proven Application Engineering, Custom Design, Project Management, Manufacturing, Installation and Commissioning services.
Why are Consistent Drying Temperatures Important for Wet Corn Milling?
Drying conditions influence corn wet-milling performance as well as the physiochemical and functional properties of corn wet-milled fraction. The effect of the drying process on the quality of starch, gluten, germ, and fiber recovered during the wet-milling process help to develop more accurate engineering and economic models. Drying temperature combined with the initial moisture content of the grain has a significant impact on the wet-milling performance and the quality of recovered materials.

We are Ready to Help you Solve your Mission-Critical Challenges
At Louisville Dryer Company, we stand ready for jobs that are out-of-the-ordinary. Each project creates new challenges and opportunities for us to provide custom-engineered solutions to complex problems.
We have vast experience in processing materials including organic and inorganic chemicals, petrochemicals, grains, metals, aggregates and waste byproducts.

Louisville Dryer Company is qualified as an ASME Division I design and manufacturing center. We have completed thousands of installations, processing hundreds of materials around the world, and pioneered many of the industrial drying technologies. We focus on:
- Rotary Dryers
- Steam Tube Dryers
- Direct Heat Dryers
- Indirect Heat Dryers
- Direct-Fired Dryers
- Hemp Dryers
Let us know how we can assist you and your company.