EP1995539A2 - Procédé de séchage d'aliments pour animaux et système de séchage adapté pour mettre en oeuvre ce procédé - Google Patents

Procédé de séchage d'aliments pour animaux et système de séchage adapté pour mettre en oeuvre ce procédé Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1995539A2
EP1995539A2 EP08154223A EP08154223A EP1995539A2 EP 1995539 A2 EP1995539 A2 EP 1995539A2 EP 08154223 A EP08154223 A EP 08154223A EP 08154223 A EP08154223 A EP 08154223A EP 1995539 A2 EP1995539 A2 EP 1995539A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
container
food
dried
drying
unloading
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP08154223A
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German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1995539A3 (fr
Inventor
Danilo Torresin
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Lamec Srl
Original Assignee
Lamec Srl
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Lamec Srl filed Critical Lamec Srl
Publication of EP1995539A2 publication Critical patent/EP1995539A2/fr
Publication of EP1995539A3 publication Critical patent/EP1995539A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B5/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes not involving the application of heat
    • F26B5/04—Drying solid materials or objects by processes not involving the application of heat by evaporation or sublimation of moisture under reduced pressure, e.g. in a vacuum
    • F26B5/042—Drying solid materials or objects by processes not involving the application of heat by evaporation or sublimation of moisture under reduced pressure, e.g. in a vacuum for drying articles or discrete batches of material in a continuous or semi-continuous operation, e.g. with locks or other air tight arrangements for charging/discharging
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B17/00—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement
    • F26B17/12—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed solely by gravity, i.e. the material moving through a substantially vertical drying enclosure, e.g. shaft
    • F26B17/128—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed solely by gravity, i.e. the material moving through a substantially vertical drying enclosure, e.g. shaft with provisions for working under reduced or increased pressure, with or without heating
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B25/00—Details of general application not covered by group F26B21/00 or F26B23/00
    • F26B25/005—Treatment of dryer exhaust gases
    • F26B25/006—Separating volatiles, e.g. recovering solvents from dryer exhaust gases

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a method for drying animal feed, particularly suitable for flours and products in pieces like, for example, fodder, biscuits, croquettes and the like.
  • the invention furthermore concerns a drying system implementing said method.
  • animal feed in pieces is obtained from a compound, generally through a forming process achieved by extrusion or compression in briquetting presses or similar machines.
  • the temperature of the product is high and therefore it must be cooled before the successive packaging stage.
  • the sanitation of the products makes it possible to eliminate some pathogenic microorganisms like, for example, the salmonella bacterium, but it must be followed by a successive product cooling and drying process.
  • the cooling and drying processes of the food are carried out in drying tunnels, where the product is exposed to an air current under forced ventilation that is successively discharged in the environment.
  • a first drawback of the known method described above lies in that the air flowing out of the drying tunnel must undergo a filtering treatment before being able to be discharged into the external environment.
  • the air removes from the product and fills with powders that are potentially harmful to the environment.
  • a further drawback posed by the known technique lies in that the above mentioned filters require a routine maintenance procedure that, due to the complexity of the filters themselves, is quite complicated and thus involves high maintenance costs.
  • the water used for the depuration process must in turn be treated, since it contains the above mentioned powders deriving from the drying process, with a further inconvenience lying in that the system requires an additional depuration stage.
  • Another drawback posed by the drying methods described above lies in that a considerable quantity of air is required in order to guarantee drying to a sufficient degree, so that it becomes necessary to use drying tunnels and corresponding ducts having large dimensions compared to the volume of product to be dried.
  • a further drawback posed by the known art lies in that to generate the air current necessary for the drying process powerful fans are needed, which involve high system running costs.
  • the object of the present invention is to overcome all the drawbacks described above.
  • the system subject of the invention since the system subject of the invention does not use air, it does not require any filters to treat the air, thus avoiding all the related maintenance costs.
  • the system subject of the invention has smaller overall dimensions than an equivalent system of known type since, besides avoiding the use of the above mentioned filters, it does not require ducts with large section for the circulation of the drying air.
  • the system of the invention can be installed in sites where reduced spaces are available.
  • the invention makes it possible to develop systems with higher drying capacity than the known systems, but with lower costs and smaller overall dimensions.
  • the drying method proposed by the invention is particularly suitable for treating animal feed, to which reference is made below.
  • the method comprises a first stage at which the food to be dried is introduced into a sealed container.
  • the method further includes an operation that consists in depressurizing the container by sucking all the gases present therein.
  • the method of the invention further includes an operation that consists in taking the evaporated air from the container, preferably through the same gas sucking operation described above.
  • the depressurization in the container will be as near vacuum as possible.
  • the drying speed ensured by considerable depressurization allows drying times to be highly reduced compared to the methods of known type.
  • the food is not struck by a constant flow of drying air and therefore does not release any powder.
  • the vapour extracted from the container does not contain substances that are harmful to the environment and does not require special depuration procedures.
  • depressurization in the container limits the proliferation of some types of microorganisms like for example salmonella.
  • the vapour extracted from the container is condensed outside it and can thus return into the environment.
  • the operations for loading/unloading the food into/from the container take place intermittently, in order to advantageously ensure the continuous operation of the system, as explained below.
  • the method also includes an operation that consists in heating the inside walls of the container, at least during the extraction of vapour.
  • this operation prevents the condensation of vapour when it comes into contact with the cold walls of the container, which would hinder its extraction.
  • the system 1 comprises:
  • the container 2 may clearly have any shape and size, chosen by the manufacturer according to the overall dimensions and the required capacity of the system 1.
  • the loading means 3 comprise a first sealed chamber 5, operatively connected to means 4 for feeding the food to be dried through a first inlet valve 6 and communicating with the container 2 through a first outlet valve 7.
  • the above mentioned feeding means 4 comprise a hopper suited to convey the food coming from the production line.
  • the unloading means 8 comprise a second sealed chamber 9, communicating with the container via a second inlet valve 10 and operatively connected to means for collecting the dried food, not illustrated herein, through a second outlet valve 11.
  • the collection means are preferably containers but in other embodiments of the invention they may comprise conveyor belts for transferring the dried product to the successive processing stages.
  • the loading means 3 are preferably arranged at the top 2a of the container 2 and the unloading means 8 at the bottom 2b of the same.
  • This configuration advantageously makes it possible to exploit gravity in order to induce both the transit of the food between the loading means 3 and the unloading means 8, and the loading and unloading operations themselves.
  • the loading means 3 and the unloading means 8 can be arranged differently than described above, for example horizontally, provided that the container 2 is equipped with a system for transporting the food from the loading means 3 to the unloading means 8.
  • the suction means 12 comprise a vacuum pump 24, operatively connected to the container 2 via a suction circuit 13.
  • the suction circuit 13 comprises a condenser 14 provided with a condensation chamber 15 in which it is possible to identify one inlet mouth 16 for the gases sucked from the container 2, operatively connected to it, one outlet mouth 17 for the non-condensable gases, operatively connected to a vacuum pump 24, and a mouth 18 for conveying the condensation, associated with conveyance means 19.
  • non-condensable gases are substantially constituted by air that, due to the depressurization of the system 1, can penetrate inside the system 1 through the valves and/or because of sealing failures.
  • the above mentioned condensation chamber 15 is preferably, but not necessarily cooled by means of a refrigerating system associated with the condenser 14, not illustrated herein.
  • the means 19 for conveying the condensation comprise a third sealed chamber 20 communicating with the condensation chamber 15 via a third inlet valve 21 and operatively connected to means for collecting the condensation, not illustrated herein, through a third outlet valve 22.
  • the sealed chambers 5, 9, 20 with which the above mentioned loading means 3, unloading means 8 and conveyance means 19 are provided make it possible to maintain the system 1 depressurized during the transit of the food or condensation, by operating the corresponding valves 6, 7, 10, 11, 21, 22 alternatively, so that when one of them is open, the other is closed.
  • the suction circuit 12 preferably comprises a filter 23 for the non-condensable gases, interposed between the condenser 14 and the vacuum pump 24.
  • the above mentioned filter 23 makes it possible to block any impurities brought along by the non-condensable gases before releasing them into the atmosphere, in such a way as to guarantee the total absence of powders.
  • the filter 23 will be much smaller than the filters used in the equivalent systems of known type.
  • the invention achieves the object to carry out a drying system 1 that requires less maintenance than the equivalent systems of known type, given that the filter 23 used is much less complex and much smaller than the filters normally used in the systems of known type.
  • the system 1 preferably comprises also means 25 for heating the inner surface of the container 2 that, as already explained, advantageously allow the condensation of vapour in the container 2 to be avoided.
  • the above mentioned heating means 25 comprise a circuit for the circulation of a hot fluid that is preferably water.
  • the circulation fluid can use a hot fluid different from water.
  • the heating means 25 may comprise, instead of a circulation circuit, any type of heating device, provided that it is suitable for heating the inner surface of the container 2, like for example a set of electric resistances or other similar devices of known type.
  • the system 1 of the invention has much smaller overall dimensions than a system of known type equivalent to it in terms of drying capacity.
  • the invention also makes it possible to carry out a drying system that is more effective than systems of known type comparable to it in terms of costs and dimensions, and therefore achieves another of its objects.
  • the vacuum pump 24 provides for sucking the air present in the container 2, thus depressurizing it.
  • the food coming from the production cycle which is characterized by high temperature and humidity, is introduced in the container 2 through the loading means 3.
  • the food is introduced intermittently: at first the inlet valve 6 is opened to fill the sealed chamber 5, after which the inlet valve 6 is closed and at the same time the outlet valve 7 is opened, so that the contents of the sealed chamber 5 are emptied into the container 2.
  • the intermittent introduction described above prevents air from entering the container 2 during the introduction of food, thus advantageously making it possible to maintain the system 1 depressurized and allowing it to operate continuously.
  • the vapour developed in this way flows into the condensation chamber 15 of the condenser 14 through its inlet mouth 16, due to the sucking action of the vacuum pump 24.
  • the liquid that condenses flows towards the conveyance means 19 through the conveyance mouth 18, to be then unloaded into the external environment by the operation of the two valves 21, 22, in a manner analogous to that described above for the loading means 3, in such a way as to maintain the system 1 depressurized.
  • the non-condensable gases flow through the outlet mouth 17 of the condensation chamber 15, drawn by the vacuum pump 24, and are finally unloaded into the atmosphere, after passing through the filter 23.
  • the food remains in the container 2 for a time sufficient to achieve the desired degree of drying, after which they are unloaded by gravity through the unloading means 8, whose operation is analogous to that of the loading means 3 described above.
  • the food can be loaded and unloaded at the same time, since the loading means 3 and the unloading means 8 are independent of each other.
  • loading means 3 and the unloading means 8 are situated on opposite sides of the container 2, the last food loaded will also be the last to be unloaded.
  • the depressurization of the container allows the food to be dried with no need to use air currents.
  • the system of the invention requires neither the use of filters nor the use of depuration systems, whose maintenance is expensive.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
  • Meat, Egg Or Seafood Products (AREA)
  • Fodder In General (AREA)
EP08154223A 2007-05-25 2008-04-08 Procédé de séchage d'aliments pour animaux et système de séchage adapté pour mettre en oeuvre ce procédé Withdrawn EP1995539A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITVI20070152 ITVI20070152A1 (it) 2007-05-25 2007-05-25 Metodo di essiccazione di alimenti per animali ed impianto di essiccazione realizzante tale metodo

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1995539A2 true EP1995539A2 (fr) 2008-11-26
EP1995539A3 EP1995539A3 (fr) 2010-04-07

Family

ID=39713770

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP08154223A Withdrawn EP1995539A3 (fr) 2007-05-25 2008-04-08 Procédé de séchage d'aliments pour animaux et système de séchage adapté pour mettre en oeuvre ce procédé

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1995539A3 (fr)
IT (1) ITVI20070152A1 (fr)

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SE374811B (fr) * 1973-01-18 1975-03-17 Sintab Swedinventor Ab
US4347670A (en) * 1980-11-28 1982-09-07 Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation Apparatus and process for drying granular products
HU53216A (fr) * 1989-01-16 1990-09-28
US5253597A (en) * 1992-06-18 1993-10-19 Chemical Waste Management, Inc. Process for separating organic contaminants from contaminated soils and sludges
DE19735392A1 (de) * 1997-08-14 1999-02-18 Alexander Czetsch Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Reinigung kontaminierter Materialien

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITVI20070152A1 (it) 2008-11-26
EP1995539A3 (fr) 2010-04-07

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