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March 14, 2018

15/03/2018: Trench and mechanical intake pits

By David Perry, Managing Director, Perry of Oakley Ltd

Perry of Oakley is a family-run business and they have been manufacturing conveying equipment and driers for over 70 years.

 


Mechanical intake systems for cereals and feedmill products

Types available:
• Screw conveyor
• Horizontal chain and flight conveyor
• Curved chain and flight conveyor

Selection
When considering which type of mechanical intake system to use the first thing to consider is the type of products to be handled. If the products are all free flowing such as cereals then a chain and flight conveyor system will be suitable. If the products also include meals and very light products these might not be suitable for a chain and flight conveyor and then a more universal screw conveyor system may be the answer.

This is because chain and flight conveyor systems generally use a side inlet configuration to enable control of the depth of the product in the conveyor casing. This can lead to a narrow aperture for the product to pass through and this does not suit products that are likely to bridge.

Other considerations are that a screw conveyor intake would generally be shorter as it is not good practice to have a hanger bearing to support the worm on pipe inside the hopper area. This can be achieved but access for regular lubrication also has to be considered.

Intake hoppers using chain and flight conveyors offer several benefits

1) The intake section can be very long. Perry systems have intake sections from 3m to 18m depending on the model of the conveyors.
2) The chain and flight conveyors after the intake section can be any length required.
3) The chain and flight conveyors can be curved, depending on the storage volume requirements this could mean the civil works for intake pits can be very simple and can even be a flat pad if needed.

Capacity of the intake system will depend on a number of factors
1) The capacity of the equipment following the intake may limit the chosen capacity.
2) What rate does the rest of the system need to be fed at? For example if the intake is part of a drying system then depending on the configuration of this the general rule of thumb is that the handling equipment should be twice the normal drying capacity of the drier.
3) If not then the daily intake capacity needs to be known.
4) The arrival interval of delivery vehicles.
5) The acceptable waiting time for the delivery vehicles and space for them to wait without causing problems with local roads.
6) If delivery vehicles need to be emptied quickly but the interval is not that frequent could the intake pit be down below ground a suitable distance to allow the contents of the trailer to be tipped and instantaneously disappear below ground level. The conveyor can then empty this before the next vehicle arrives.


Read the full article, HERE.

Visit the Perry of Oakley website, HERE.
 

The Global Miller
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which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


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