In every chicken processing plant, there is one process that is
handled in a surprisingly large number of ways – handling waste. And
each approach has surprisingly different costs to the business, day in,
day out. Vacuum systems, conveyors or water flumes; all have been seen
as the most approriate at one time or another.
Often, the handling and disposal of whole birds, in
particular, has proved problematic. Workers often collect them in wheelie
bins – or even wheelbarrows – before moving them manually to a collection point elsewhere
on the site. Installation of a seepex progressive cavity pump eliminates manual collection and transportation. The system not only happily handles whole birds,
but also intestines, claws and feathers, all without complaint.
The process
Birds are trucked to a processing plant where hangers ultimately place live chickens on shackles for transport to processing areas. During the process, dead birds (DOAs) may be left on the conveyor and
manually placed in a storage bin.
Often, the DOAs are loaded into a dumpster for ultimate transport to a rendering plant.
There are risks inherent with the dumpster method, such as the frequent damage to equipment due to operator error.
This, in turn, may result in structural damage to buildings
and dumpster. Add to these other expenses, such as maintaining the
forklift.
These traditional methods are highly labor intensive and they present safety hazards.
The solution
Installing a seepex BTM range pump for DOA chicken transfer ensures
smooth and efficient processing.
This pump has an auger feed screw prior to the rotor and stator, but
with the feed screw and compression zone being additionally fitted with
rotating and stationary knives.
These knives are a seepex patented
design and have proved very effective at macerating the birds, offal and
other waste prior to pumping. In fact, seepex BTM pumps can chop and pump most food products including all manner of highly viscous and
non-flowable products with a dry solids content up to 45%, and at
pressures up to 350 PSI.
Often, the birds may be pumped at routine work breaks (about
every two to three hours). At this time, an operator starts the pump and
then begins dropping the birds down an arm’s-length, stainless steel
safety chute designed to feed the pump’s rotating auger.
The benefit
Compared to vacuum system, which operated 24 hours a day, a seepex BTM range
pump runs about two hours a shift, two hours a day, five to six days a
week, 52 weeks a year – compared to a vacuum system’s 24- hours-a-day
operation. Likewise, while the seepex unit is driven by a five-HP motor,
the vacuum conveyor system may require a 25-HP or larger motor; based on the cost of
$0.05 kwh, the pump is saving about $17,000 a year in electricity.
high vacuum pumps…
Seepex pump eases poultry DOA transfer ยป Fluid Engineering Blog…