Air Classifier for Dry Feed Fineness and Energy Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current feed processing systems struggle to achieve the required fineness of less than 250 micrometers for 95% of particles in fat and protein-containing dry fish and seafood feed, as existing mills are inefficient and lead to energy-intensive processes, and downstream screening machines stick due to fat and protein content, causing operational blockages.
Innovation Solution
Integration of an air classifier into the feed processing plant to classify particles with a fineness below a predetermined upper limit, allowing for efficient separation and bypassing of finely ground particles, reducing the load on the hammer mill and improving pellet quality by ensuring only coarser particles are ground, thereby enhancing energy efficiency and product quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If hammer mills, impact classifiers, split mills, or pin mills are used to grind dry feed raw mixture to achieve fineness below 250 micrometers, then particle fineness is improved, but energy consumption increases uneconomically high and output per machine is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary classification of the dry feed raw mixture before grinding. The air classifier separates particles that already meet the fineness requirement from those that need grinding, so only the necessary portion undergoes energy-intensive milling. This preliminary sorting action prevents unnecessary energy consumption on particles that would otherwise be ground despite already meeting specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical screening system (flat or rotary sieves) with a pneumatic classification system (air classifier). The air classifier uses air currents to separate particles by size without mechanical contact, eliminating the clogging problem caused by fat and protein content while achieving the same particle size separation function. This substitution resolves both the clogging issue and the energy efficiency problem.
2Manufacturing precision
If flat or rotary sieves are used downstream of mills to screen particles, then particle size separation is achieved, but the sieves clog up due to fat and protein content causing operational blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces mechanical screening devices (flat or rotary sieves) with a pneumatic air classifier system. The air classifier uses controlled air currents to separate particles by size through aerodynamic forces, completely eliminating mechanical contact between the screening surface and the fat- and protein-containing feed material. This substitution prevents clogging while maintaining particle size separation capability, ensuring continuous operation without blockages.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a pneumatic classification system using air currents to separate particles by size. The air classifier generates controlled air flows that carry particles of different sizes to different outlets based on their aerodynamic properties. This pneumatic approach replaces mechanical screening and eliminates the clogging problem inherent in contact-based sieving systems when processing high-fat and high-protein feed materials.
3Manufacturing precision
If hammer mills are used to grind fat and protein-containing dry feed raw mixture to high fineness, then particle fineness is improved, but the hammer mill load increases and productivity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The air classifier performs preliminary separation before the hammer mill, identifying and removing particles that already meet the fineness specification. This reduces the volume of material requiring intensive grinding, decreasing the hammer mill's workload and energy consumption while maintaining high productivity. The hammer mill focuses only on the fraction of material that actually needs grinding.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and separates the portion of material that already meets fineness requirements before it enters the hammer mill. The air classifier identifies and removes these satisfactory particles from the feed stream, so they bypass the energy-intensive grinding process entirely. This extraction of already-qualified material reduces the hammer mill's processing burden and increases overall system productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The air classifier enables the production of dry feed with the desired fineness of less than 250 micrometers for 95% of particles in an economically viable manner, reducing energy consumption and preventing product degradation, while maintaining nutritional properties for subsequent processing stages.
Implementation Method 1
an air classifier (11) for classifying particles with a fineness below a predetermined upper limit is provided between the feed section (101) and the discharge section (103)
Data Source
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AI summary
Feed processing plant (100) for producing a dry feed product from a dry feed raw mixture, comprising a feed section (101) into which the raw mixture is fed, a hammer mill (6) connected to the feed section (101) for grinding at least a part of the fed raw mixture, and a discharge section (103) connected to the hammer mill (6) into which the product is discharged, characterized in that an air classifier (11) for classifying particles with a fineness below a predetermined upper limit is provided between the feed section (101) and the discharge section (103), wherein the fineness of the particles means a maximum diameter of the particles.