RU2847794C1 - Universal technological line for the preparation of compound feed - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: technological line for the preparation of compound feed is proposed, which includes a module for the preparation of loose compound feed, comprising a metal frame on which hoppers for storing compound feed components are installed, connected for filling to a pneumatic crusher, and for unloading, connected to a horizontal mixer installed at the bottom of the frame, a storage hopper for loose compound feed with a volume exceeding the volume of the horizontal mixer, a granulator with an upper hopper with a volume exceeding the volume of the mixer, connected to a cooling column. The outlet of the horizontal mixer is connected to a transfer device, at the end of which there is a feed distributor connected to the storage hopper for loose feed and the upper hopper of the granulator, and designed with the option of loading one of the connected hoppers.

EFFECT: expansion of the line's functional capabilities and improvement of the continuity of the feed preparation production process.

5 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to agriculture and is intended for the preparation of loose and granulated compound feed.

A technological scheme for the preparation of granulated feed from grain and from unthreshed grain heap is known from the prior art: Rudoy D. V., Braginets S. V., Pakhomov V. I., Bakhchevnikov Oleg Nikolaevich. Technology for the production of granulated feed from unthreshed grain heap // Engineering and technology in animal husbandry. 2022. No. 3 (47). The known technology consists of the following stages:

1. Harvesting grain at the milk, pasty, or waxy stage using stripping without threshing. This is performed using a stripper header, coupled to a wheeled tractor or transport vehicle. The moisture content of the harvested grain is 40-80%.

2. Delivery of the grain heap to the feed shop.

3. Raw material normalization to improve its homogeneity. The grain heap is processed in an expander operating in mixer-normalizer mode (processing temperature 35-40°C). The result is a more homogeneous mixture (expandate) with evenly mixed grain and non-grain part of the ear (chaff). The resulting mixture has a moisture content of 40 to 60% and requires drying.

4. The normalized grain heap (expanded) is subjected to atmospheric drying with turning until it reaches a moisture content of 14-18%. The drying process can be intensified by using a drum dryer.

5. Crushing the dried expandate using a hammer mill.

6. Mixing crushed expanded grain from the heap with mineral and protein additives (3-7% of the feed weight) in a horizontal or inclined mixer.

7. Pelleting of the feed mixture using a screw press ensures low energy consumption. During the pelleting process, the feed is heated to a temperature of 50-63°C.

8. Cooling and separation of granules, sending screenings for re-granulation.

9. Placing granulated feed into storage.

A disadvantage of the known technology is the disruption of process continuity due to the use of a batch mixer in the line and the cyclical feeding of loose feed directly from the mixer to the pelletizer. When the mixer is empty, the pelletizer must be stopped until a new batch of loose feed is prepared. This disruption of process continuity negatively impacts the pelletizer's operation, resulting in excessive energy consumption and leading to cooling of its working parts, which degrades the quality of the pellets.

A module for preparing loose compound feed is also known from the prior art, patent RU 2802579 "Device for Preparing Loose Compound Feed," IPC A23N 17/00, published August 30, 2023. The known device for preparing loose compound feed comprises a four-support metal frame. Four bins for accumulating compound feed components are installed in the upper part of the frame. These bins are designed as vertically oriented metal cylinders tapering toward the bottom. An aspiration system in the form of bags or filters is mounted in the upper part of the bins. A horizontal mixer with loading hatches located in the upper part and a common unloading hatch in the lower part is installed in the lower part of the frame under the bins on weighing sensors. The device contains screw dispensers that connect the bins and the loading hatches of the horizontal mixer. The mixer is located in the central part of the four-support frame between the bins. A control panel is mounted on the frame. Loading material pipelines are mounted at the top of the storage bins, connected to the unloading material pipeline of the pneumatic crusher via a feed component distributor. Level sensors are mounted on the sides of the storage bins to monitor the bins' fill level. Slide valves are installed at the bottom of the storage bins. A screw conveyor is mounted under the mixer's unloading hatch. The use of this module for preparing loose feed as part of a pelleted feed production line is unknown in the prior art.

The objective of the invention is to develop a new universal technological line with the option of choosing between the preparation of loose or granulated compound feed.

The technical result consists in expanding the functional capabilities of the line and increasing the level of continuity of the production process for preparing compound feed.

The technical result is achieved due to the fact that a universal technological line for the preparation of compound feed is proposed, which includes:

a module for preparing loose compound feed, comprising a metal frame on which bins are mounted for accumulating the components of the compound feed, connected for filling with one or more pneumatic crushers, and for unloading coupled with a horizontal mixer installed in the lower part of the frame,

a storage bin for loose compound feed, with a volume exceeding the volume of a horizontal mixer,

a granulator with an upper hopper, with a volume greater than the volume of the mixer, connected to a cooling column,

wherein the output of the horizontal mixer is connected to a moving device, at the end of which a feed distributor is installed, connected to a storage bin for loose feed and the upper bin of the granulator, and configured to select the loading of one of the connected bins.

The conveying device is preferably a screw conveyor. The feed distributor preferably includes a common feed pipe, two separating pipes, and a feed flow switch between the separating pipes. The proposed line preferably includes a feeder for introducing additional enrichment components into the horizontal mixer. The proposed line preferably includes an automatic control system.

The proposed invention is explained by the following graphic materials.

Fig. 1 - three-dimensional model of a universal technological line for the preparation of compound feed (front view).

Fig. 2 - three-dimensional model of a universal technological line for the preparation of compound feed (rear view).

Fig. 3 - Diagram of the feed distributor.

The figures show a universal technological line for preparing compound feed, including a module for preparing loose compound feed 1, a storage bin for loose compound feed 2, a granulator 3 with an upper bin 4, a cooling column 5. The module for preparing loose compound feed 1 includes a metal frame 6, on which bins 7 are installed for accumulating components of the compound feed, connected for filling with a pneumatic crusher 8, and for unloading - with a horizontal mixer 9 installed in the lower part of the frame 6. The outlet of the horizontal mixer 9 is connected to a moving device 11, at the end of which a feed distributor 10 is installed, connected to the storage bin for loose compound feed 2 and the upper bin 4 of the granulator 3. Preferably, the moving device 11 is a screw conveyor. The distributor 10 is a three-pointed star and includes a common pipe 12, two dividing pipes 13, and a feed flow switch between the pipes 13. The feed flow switch is a valve 15 secured on a shaft 14 mounted at the junction of the two dividing pipes 13, which in turn is connected to the electric motor shaft. Limit switches 16 are mounted on the side surfaces of the dividing pipes. The shaft 14 is connected to the electric motor shaft (not shown in the figure) and is rotatable about its axis. The length L of the valve 15 is greater than the length B of the dividing pipe 13, which makes it possible to completely close the cross-section of the dividing pipe and direct all the material from the mixer through the second dividing pipe. Limit switches 16 are designed to stop the electric motor when valve 15 reaches the outer wall of separating pipe 13, which allows for timely shutdown of the electric motor and prevents damage to distributor 10. An unloading transfer device 17 (preferably a screw conveyor) is installed beneath the outlet of bulk feed bin 2. The outlet of granulator 3 is connected to the inlet of cooling column 5 via transfer devices 18 (preferably belt conveyors) for transporting granulated feed.

The bins 7 for accumulating the components of the compound feed in the module for preparing loose compound feed 1 are made in the form of vertically oriented metal cylinders, narrowing in the lower part. In the upper part of the bins 7, an aspiration system 19 is mounted, made in the form of bags or filters. In the lower part of the metal frame 6 under the bins 7, on weighing sensors (not shown in the Fig.), a horizontal mixer 9 is installed with loading hatches 20 located in the upper part and a common unloading hatch 21 in the lower part. The bins 7 and loading hatches 20 of the horizontal mixer 9 are communicated by screw dispensers 22. The module for preparing loose compound feed 1 is equipped with a feeding device 23 for feeding enriching additives (a belt conveyor is shown in the Fig.), connected to the horizontal mixer 9. Control is carried out from a control cabinet 24. In Fig. 1 and 2 show that loading material pipelines 25 are mounted in the upper portion of bins 7 and connected to the unloading material pipeline 26 of pneumatic crusher 8 via feed component distributor 27. Pneumatic crusher 8 is connected to loading device (ejector) 28 via material pipeline 29. Upper and lower level sensors are mounted on the side surfaces of bins 7 to monitor the bin load level. Slide valves are installed in the lower portion of storage bins 7. The receiving bin of moving device 11 is located under the unloading hatch of mixer 9.

Additionally, the proposed device can be equipped with an automatic control system located in the control cabinet 24 and additionally including a remote control panel (not shown in the figure), with the ability to receive control signals from level sensors about the filling of the bins 7 and weighing sensors about each component loaded into the horizontal mixer 9 and to send control signals to the electric drives of the screw feeders 17, the electric drive of the pneumatic crusher 8. From this same panel, the control of the moving device 11, 13, the unloading moving device 12, the bulk feed bin 2, the granulator 3 and the cooling column 5 is carried out.

The essence of the invention is as follows.

Pneumatic crusher 8 is activated from control panel 24, generating an air flow for moving the feed components. Loading device (ejector) 28 is immersed in the bulk of the component to be crushed. Under the action of the air flow, the component to be crushed enters ejector 28 via material pipeline 29 into crusher 8, where it is crushed. The crushed component is then moved by the air flow through discharge pipeline 26 into one of the selected bins 7 and deposited therein. Cleaned air is removed from bin 7 via aspiration system 19. Crushing continues until the level sensor is triggered, signaling that bin 7 is full. After crushing the selected component, the crusher is turned off, and distributor switches 27 are moved to the next position, connecting crusher 8 to the next bin. The crushing process of the next component begins. Thus, all bins 7 connected to crusher 8 are gradually filled with the necessary feed components. After the feed components are crushed and all bins 7 are filled, they are dosed in accordance with the specified recipe. The crushed feed components are collected from bins 7 by screw feeders 22 and fed into horizontal mixer 9 through loading hatches 20 located in its upper section. Weighing sensors determine the quantity of components fed into mixer 9 by screw feeders 22 in accordance with the specified recipe. When the required value is reached, screw feeders 22 are switched off. If necessary, additional enriching additives are added to mixer 9 using feeding device 23. After all the necessary components have been added to mixer 9 in accordance with the specified recipe, they are mixed for a specified time, typically 4-6 minutes.

When loose feed is required, valve 15 of distributor 10 is moved to the appropriate position, and the resulting mixture (loose feed) is sent from horizontal mixer 9 to loose feed bin 2. Traditionally, farms mix feed with coarse, succulent, and other feeds in a mobile mixer to produce complete feed. This requires maintaining the proportions of individual feeds. Typically, when feeding animals complete feed, several portions are prepared in mobile mixers. To avoid interrupting the feeding process and ensure timely feeding of the animals, farms prepare the necessary feed components in advance. Therefore, the presence of a storage bin 2 for loose feed is essential in feed preparation lines. The capacity of the storage bin 2 exceeds the capacity of horizontal mixer 9. Therefore, it is filled gradually after several portions of loose feed have been fed. The presence of an intermediate bin 2 is necessary to ensure the continuity of the process. When bunker 2 accumulates, loose compound feed is removed from it by unloading moving device 17.

In the case of preparing granulated compound feed, the valve 15 of the distributor 10 is moved to the opposite position, directing the resulting mixture (loose compound feed) from the horizontal mixer 9 using the moving device 11 (screw conveyor) into the hopper 4, located above the granulator 3.

The presence of distributor 10 allows to expand the functional capabilities of the line and to prepare both loose compound feed and granulated feed on it due to the directed movement of the mixture from mixer 9 both into the loose compound feed bin 2 and into the bin 4 of granulator 3.

In order to achieve the continuity of the production process, it is necessary to maintain a continuous supply of loose compound feed to the granulator 3. This is ensured by constantly feeding loose compound feed from the bin 4 to the granulator 3. In this case, it is necessary to maintain the condition of equality of the masses of the compound feed fed by the mixer 9 located in the bin 4 and processed by the granulator 3. That is, for the continuous operation of the granulator 3, it is necessary that the same amount of compound feed from the mixer 9 be continuously fed to the bin 4 as is processed by the granulator 3. Since the horizontal mixer 9 is a batch mixer, the volume of the bin 4 must exceed the volume of the mixer 9. In this case, there will always be loose compound feed in the bin 4 until a new portion is mixed by the mixer 9 and loaded into the bin 4. In this case, before starting the granulator 3, the bin 4 must be filled with loose compound feed. Thus, the presence of a hopper 4 with a capacity exceeding that of mixer 9 above granulator 3 ensures a continuous supply of loose compound feed to granulator 3, and therefore, the continuity of the production process. The placement of hopper 4 above granulator 3 ensures a continuous supply of loose compound feed directly to the dispenser of granulator 3 without the use of an additional conveying device, since its movement from hopper 4 to the dosing device of granulator 3 is carried out in this case by gravity. This ensures a continuous supply of loose compound feed from hopper 4 to granulator 3. From hopper 4, loose compound feed is dosed into granulator 3. In granulator 3, it is compacted under pressure with the addition of steam. Hot and relatively soft pellets from pellet mill 3 are fed to conveyor 18 (e.g., belt conveyors), which transport them to cooling column 5. In cooling column 5, the pellets are cooled by moving cold air, removing excess moisture, thereby achieving the required pellet moisture content and adding additional hardness. Belt conveyors are primarily used as conveyor 18, which preserves the integrity of the finished pelleted feed, as this type of conveyor prevents pellet degradation.

The well-known module for preparing loose compound feed, RU 2802579 "Device for Preparing Loose Compound Feed," IPC A23N 17/00, published August 30, 2023, contains four bins mounted on a metal frame. Using this module for preparing loose compound feed in a pelleted compound feed production line improves the continuity of the pelleted compound feed production process by allowing for the pre-preparation of a larger volume of the required feed ingredients. In this case, the components from bins 7 are continuously fed to mixer 9, eliminating the need to interrupt the mixer's operation to grind the necessary components.

The formula for the prepared loose feed is limited to four basic components. The presence of a feeder 23 allows for the addition of additional enriching components to the horizontal mixer 9 during mixing, ensuring a continuous production process for the preparation of pelleted compound feed.

The automated control system allows for the production of pelleted compound feed without human intervention, while adhering to all process conditions, thereby ensuring the continuity of the pelleted compound feed production process and increasing productivity.

Claims (5)

1. A process line for preparing compound feed, characterized in that it includes: a module for preparing loose compound feed, including a metal frame on which bins are installed for accumulating the components of the compound feed, connected for filling with a pneumatic crusher, and for unloading coupled with a horizontal mixer installed in the lower part of the frame, a storage bin for loose compound feed, with a volume exceeding the volume of the horizontal mixer, a granulator with an upper bin, with a volume exceeding the volume of the mixer, connected to a cooling column, wherein the outlet of the horizontal mixer is connected to a moving device, at the end of which a compound feed distributor is installed, connected to the storage bin for loose compound feed and the upper bin of the granulator, and made with the possibility of selecting the loading of one of the connected bins. 2. A technological line for preparing compound feed according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the moving device is a screw conveyor. 3. A process line for preparing compound feed according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the compound feed distributor includes a common branch pipe, two dividing branches and a feed flow switch between the dividing branches. 4. A process line for preparing compound feed according to paragraph 1, characterized in that it contains a feeding device for introducing additional enriching components into a horizontal mixer. 5. A technological line for preparing compound feed according to paragraph 1, characterized in that it contains an automatic control system.