DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A DUAL POWERED ANIMAL FEED DRYER

The high rate of feed spoilage due to excessive moisture content remains a critical challenge for livestock and poultry farmers in Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season when ambient humidity is elevated. Traditional sun-drying methods are unreliable, weather-dependent, and prone to contamination, underscoring the need for efficient and affordable drying technologies. This project focuses on the design, construction, and evaluation of a dual-powered animal feed dryer that utilizes gas and charcoal as complementary energy sources. The system was designed to handle 50 kg of animal feed per batch, with a target drying temperature of 50 °C, and incorporates key components such as a drying chamber lined with asbestos insulation, stainless-steel trays, a gas burner assembly, a charcoal combustion unit, and a tubular heat exchanger. Performance evaluation showed that the dryer effectively reduced feed moisture content from 35% to 10–12% within an 8-hour drying period. Gas operation achieved a thermal efficiency of 62% and maintained stable temperatures within ±2 °C, while charcoal operation achieved 55% efficiency with wider fluctuations (±4 °C) but remained reliable. The dual-power configuration provides operational flexibility, enabling continuous drying even when one fuel source is unavailable. This makes the system highly suitable for small- and medium-scale farmers in Nigeria who face inconsistent energy supply. The study demonstrates that integrating locally available materials and hybrid energy systems can significantly enhance feed preservation, reduce post-harvest losses, and improve livestock productivity. The dryer is cost-effective, adaptable, and scalable, presenting a sustainable engineering solution for strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. Keywords: Animal feed dryer, Dual-powered system, Gas and charcoal, Hybrid drying, Moisture reduction, Nigeria