A Quality Aeration Strategy

Four years ago, Calgary, AB-based OPIsystems Inc. launched OPI-integris to introduce the U.S. market to a novel grain management approach that has been widely adopted throughout the world for more than 25 years. The company’s mantra is “be proactive, not reactive” with respect to grain conditioning.

Utilizing a myriad of grain temperature and moisture monitoring components, OPI-integris claims to deliver the highest return on grain investments with its Advanced Grain Management solution, called IntegrisPro.

三部分的系统包括：

1. 传感温度电缆，水分电缆和昆虫探测器的输入，以及顶空电缆，宽度，外部相对湿度和温度传感器，并不断读取数据，然后与控制器相关。
2. 与自动风扇，加热器和其他调节设备控件集成。
3. Customer Care Program, which provides ongoing software updates and help desk access with options for extended warranty and annual site maintenance.

充气应用

Since its U.S. debut, the system has been successful in on-farm moisture control applications, and in smaller commercial operations with in-bin drying systems. But can the three prongs work together to provide return on investment for large commercial grain handlers and grain elevators?

“这可以应用to any type of bulk storage, but there is a caveat,” explains OPI-integris CEO Dave Crompton. “There are different levels of control that can be achieved based on your storage parameter. In commercial storage, the tanks are very large with grain depths that can exceed 100 feet. In that case, it’s impossible to push enough air through the grain mass to significantly change moisture content, so all you can do is control the temperature so as to maintain moisture content and grain quality.”

In grain handling terms, aeration is the practice of controlling the temperature of stored commodity. Ideally conditioned grain is achieved when the grain mass reaches its commodity-specific target temperature with the least amount of variance within the bin. Wide temperature variance can result in moisture migration, leading to condensation and development of localized high-moisture zones and potential grain spoilage.

Effective aeration requires a host of equipment and devices, such as aeration ducts, fans, roof vents, temperature cables and fan controllers. Many options are available in the marketplace, so selecting the right equipment can be a challenge without guidance. Crompton says OPI-integris’ Customer Care Program and its unique software allow it to help customers select appropriately sized aeration equipment.

“IntegrisPro helps to get the best benefits from the aeration equipment, and with Integris ProModel, we can help to identify the type and size of equipment required to achieve the target objective,” says Crompton.

IntegrisPro works using Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) to capture data and output fan and roof ventilation controls using wired and/or wireless communication back to an IntegrisPro software-configured PC. Integris ProModel’s ability to read, understand and use the data is crucial to its ability to effectively manage the aeration controls.

“Components are important, but if you don’t have the right knowledge or control algorithms and integration of a modeling program to help achieve the target objective, the components likely will not be able to do their job,” explains Crompton. “With Integris ProModel, we can analyze your specific conditions and make complex calculations to decide when and how long to run all the conditioning equipment, so as to achieve the targets in the most cost- and time-effective manner.”

客户服务计划提供正在进行的软件更新和管理专家，与员工合作进行培训和由于失误而定期进行培训。

Customer Care

Opi-Integris高级谷物管理解决方案中的第三个prong是其客户服务计划。所有电子或计算机控制的操作系统都有固有的失败风险，更不用说用户的初始学习曲线了。这就是为什么IntegriSpro客户可以访问Opi-Integris的客户服务计划的名义年费，以帮助教育客户并确保该系统在最大的设施正常运行时取得积极的结果。技术支持和远程支持也可用于故障排除和修复系统问题以及站点维护。

“我们将我们的客户服务计划描述为合作伙伴关系，”克伦普顿说。“我们采用一种长期的方法，该方法始于前端，始终在整个销售周期和尾部通过扩展的客户服务计划的尾端。我们超越了组件本身，并在长期内协助运营的功能。”

The ongoing software updates include new developments of grain variety-specific EMC curves and control strategy improvements as they are incorporated into the system, which helps deliver return on investment over the long term.

投资回报

高级谷物管理解决方案的曝气控制措施有两种重要的方法可以为商业操作提供ROI：节能和收缩控制。

“我们可以节省超过80％的球迷运行时间，”克伦普顿说。“人们倾向于通过手动风扇的操作在安全的一面'空中'，因此他们通常会超越所需的粉丝，从而浪费电力。当您跑得太多时，您会被双打打击。您正在浪费电力，但您也正在创造收缩。”

收缩通过去除多余的水分来描述谷物的贬值，从而减少了其体重和市场价格。存储期间的目标是实现水分含量的正确平衡，以获得最大的市场价值而没有任何条件问题。管理收缩对于处理较高谷物的谷物电梯和商业操作特别有价值，因为即使略有改进也可以在这么大的范围内获得重大的财务回报。

“It’s realistic to get a total return on investment on this technology in two years or less because we can achieve a 1% improvement in moisture control in one year. So if you’ve got a million bushels of grain, 1% improvement on corn at $7/bushel will reap $70,000 — about the cost of the IntegrisPro investment.”

克伦普顿补充说，一旦收回成本，该技术将继续获得10或20年的收益。

Controlling the temperature of stored grain leads to higher quality, less shrink, increased storability, grain deterioration prevention, reduced storage loss, and ultimately, higher profits. Although automated fan controls are not a novel concept, the heightened level of data capturing and utilization of information to help users make important management decisions is what sets OPI-integris apart. Improving its Advanced Grain Management solution will continue to be the company’s main objective and commitment to its customers.