What really has to be solved in feed drying is the dry shell around a wet core. Once the pellets come out, the surface is already dry while the moisture inside is still there, and they start to go mouldy within days of stacking, which costs more than the energy spent drying them. Our approach is a flash airflow line with a longer equalising section behind it: the pellets are carried quickly by the hot air and the surface sets first, then they spend longer in the equalising section so the internal moisture migrates outward, and it is the two stages together that level the moisture through the pellet. Temperature has to be held: the heat limit of feed is on the material temperature, not the hot air.
What really has to be solved in feed drying is the dry shell around a wet core. Once the pellets come out, the surface is already dry while the moisture inside is still there, and they start to go mouldy within days of stacking, which costs more than the energy spent drying them. Our approach is a flash airflow line with a longer equalising section behind it: the pellets are carried quickly by the hot air and the surface sets first, then they spend longer in the equalising section so the internal moisture migrates outward, and it is the two stages together that level the moisture through the pellet. Temperature has to be held: the heat limit of feed is on the material temperature, not the hot air, and protein starts to denature around 60°C, so extend the residence time rather than raise the inlet temperature. The other point that is easy to miss is dust: feed meal is combustible dust, the dust collector has to be selected for combustible dust, and grounding, bonding and explosion venting cannot be skipped. Animal protein lines and ruminant feed lines need to be scheduled separately, with a full clean-down between products.