Eight Ways To Improve The Production Efficiency Of The Granulator

With the development of livestock, aquaculture and improvement of industrial feed technology, pellet feed production has been commonplace in feed mills. The primary equipment in the pellet feed production process is the granulator. The production efficiency of the granulator has a strong impact on the economic benefits of the feed mill.

1. Design reasonable pellet feed production processes

Currently, the more common production process of granule feed is composed of three parts: pre-processing (feeding, conditioning and magnetic separation), granulation and post-processing (cooling, crushing, grading, etc.). These three parts restrict each other and determine the processing quality and economic efficiency of pellet feed.

When selecting the production process flow, it should be noted that, 1. At least two pre-granulating storage sheds should be equipped to meet the needs of replaced formulation; 2. In order to get the feed into the granulating machine, it is necessary to ensure that the feed of the pellets is free of iron. 3. The cooler should be placed directly behind the granulating machine. This can prevent the breaking up of damp and hot feeds; 4. The crusher is best placed under the cooler.

2. Operate the granulator properly according to the procedure

2.1 Start the device

2.1.1 Air compressor→ fan→ cyclone vacuum feeder

2.1.2 Grading sieve→ bucket elevator→ horizontal conveyor→ crusher →cooling vacuum feeder

2.1.3 The main motor of the granulator→ the tuner motor→the feeder motor

2.1.4 Start the granulator, then gradually open the steam valve and adjust the feeding speed

2.1.5 Further adjust the feeding speed, make sure the working current is close to the rated value, adjust the steam flow, and ensure the material temperature fit after adjustment

2.1.6 Adjust the cutting knife to make sure the length of the feed is suitable

2.1.7 The feeds from the beginning will not enter the cooler first. Wait until it’s normal only put into the cooler

2.2 Shutdown procedure

2.2.1 Notify the boiler workers to stop the steam 20-30minutes before the machine stops and use the residual steam to produce the remaining feeds

2.2.2 Observe the return flow and determine the shutdown time according to the return flow    

2.2.3 When there is no material in the pre-granulating warehouse and the buffer bucket, it can be turned off. The sequence is opposite to startup process

2.2.4 Close the steam valve first, and then gradually close the feeder and the tuner 

2.2.5 Feed oil based feeds from the observation door to fill the ring-die hole

2.2.6 Turn off the main engine

2.2.7 After turning off the main engine, ensure that the feed in the cooler have sufficient cooling time to avoid hot feeds

2.2.8 After you are done removing all the feed in the cooler, gradually close the crusher, bucket lift, grading sieve, and delay them respectively for 2 to 5 minutes  

2.2.9 Shut down the hydraulic system

2.3 There are three main requirements that must be mastered in the production process: first is “Grasp”, second is “Observe” and the third is “Adjust” 

2.3.1 Grasp: use your hand to observe the feeds from the observation door of granulator on a regular basis to test the temperature and moisture. At the time of granulation, the length of the feeds should be observed from the outlet of the granulator to ensure uniformity

2.3.2   Observe: Observe the readings of the thermometer and the current meter regularly and try to understand the actual situation of the granulation  

2.3.3 Adjust: adjust the cutter distance, feeder speed and the opening size of the steam valve according to the "grasp and observe” steps

3. Strictly follow the inspection principle, requirements and contents  

The inspection job is one of the essential tasks of granulating work. Its purpose is to find out the problem in time, reduce downtime and protect the equipment.