The cooling of bulk grains can be carried out in silos out of metal, concrete, masonry, or any other building material, as well as in bulk warehouses. There are small, medium, and large chilling equipment on the market which can serve any size of storage unit. The aeration system should be good sized to ensure uniform distribution of air through the grain mass. A silo of 16,000 t, for example, can be cooled in 420 hours, at a temperature between 15 to 18 ºC within the grain mass and remain for several months without the need for a new application of cold. All grain has low thermal conductivity, which favors its thermal stability for a long period.
Energy consumption can range from 2 to 4 kwh per ton of grains, depending on plant species, water content, initial and final product temperatures, impurity index, air distribution systems, and average ambient temperature.