May | June 2011

Feature title: Conditioning as part of the pelleting process

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The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

 F: Conditioning F: Conditioning
guarantee-

Conditioning
ing “first-in,

MADE IN HOLLAND first-out”,

were ripen-
ers; a kind of
cooking vessel
which has been
in the feed mill-
ing industry for
over 20 years and
in many varieties.
The main concern con-
when using the ditioning
ripeners in the feed temperature and
milling industry is the formulation.
contamination but The temperature level can be varied
when much longer according to the retention time in order to
conditioning times avoid destructive effects on the nutrients
AL30O (that is >4 minutes) in the feed (that is protein de-naturation).
are required, the Whereas the formulation has an influence
y AD System High capacity extruders ripeners are still a on the retention time meaning that the
and expanders. valid option. optimum availability of nutrients in the feed
As already stat- can be reached as well as optimising the
ed the conditioning physical quality of the pellets.
process is about Recently other aspects have had to

as part of the pelleting process Almex b.v., Verlengde Ooyerhoekseweg 29, 7207 BJ Zutphen, The Netherlands
tel. +31 (0)575 572666, fax +31 (0)575 572727, e-mail info@almex.nl, www.almex.nl
optimisation and
therefore the time
factor is mainly
be taken into account due to consumer
concerns, for instance Salmonella. Also this
needs to be considered and treated in the
determined by the conditioning process.
by Harold Schroijen, Van Aarsen International, The Netherlands

W
hile conditioning is
a process that has
kept the attention
of the modern feed
milling industry for some time now,
the pelleting process of press meal is
a subject that is no longer considered
to be very important.
It needs to be understood that feed
milling is about the balance between the
different processes being used. As one
process is linked to another, it is difficult
to discuss only one process without having
to take another into consideration. I plan a
discussion of two processes, which interact
frequently with one another and also with
all the other processes used in the feed
milling industry.
Conditioning
Conditioning is a process in the feed
milling industry, which takes place from
intake to out-loading.
However, in many cases when referring
to conditioning, it is the treatment of press
meal prior to the pelleting process that is
meant.
Conditioning of press meal is a process
with the variables time, humidity, tempera-
ture and pressure. Pressure is only used in
unconventional processes where expander
or extruder techniques are being used.
In the conventional conditioning process,
only time, humidity and temperature are
applicable.
Whereas in the past the aim of con-
ditioning was to optimise the pelleting
process, nowadays it is much more the
intention to optimise the nutritional and
physical quality of the feed.
When using the variables in the conven-
tional conditioning process, it should first
need to be understood that temperature
and humidity are related as steam is gener-
ally used to increase the temperature of the
press meal.
Furthermore, there is also a maximum
level of humidity of the press meal in order
to avoid blockages of the pellet press. In
general it can be said that the maximum
percentage of steam that can be added to
the press meal is approximately maximum
five percent and for each percentage of
dry steam added, the temperature of the
press meal will increase by approximately
15 deg C.
Of course, the steam quality is influential
and the above mentioned values are only
applicable when a good quality steam is
being used. Besides steam quality, the influ-
ence of the humidity of raw materials as
More than 125 years world's leader in produc tivity
well as the feed composition are of great Since 1883
importance.
Steam quality and steam quantity control
are subjects enough alone to warrant fur- Roll
ther discussion, however, in many practical The best value package with speed t
remen
cases, steam quality and steam control Measu
are subjects that are not usually given the the lowest cost per tonne
attention they need in order to optimise
the conditioning process.
As temperature and humidity are
strongly related, the actual variable available
• Long term conditioners, Hygieniser Quic
k
chan die
in a conventional conditioning process is
time. It should, however, be kept in mind
g
that the conditioning process is an optimi- • Remote roll adjustment, Lineator clam e
sation and not a maximsation.
p
Where single conditioners were a com- • Roll speed measurement
mon choice for quite a number of years,
now double and even triple condition-
ers are being used prior to the pelleting • Hot start mixer
w
355 k
process.
Conditioning times lasted, in most cases, • Quick die change
less than a minute and more importantly
these types of conditioners did not guaran-
tee the “first-in, first-out” principle.
For many years, the only conventional
conditioning process that could guarantee
CONTACT CPM/Europe BV Distelweg 89, 1031 HD Amsterdam,The Netherlands Phone +31 20 494 61 11, Fax +31 20 636 42 94, info@cpmeurope.nl
a given time and that extended a maximum
retention time of one minute, while also HIGH PERFORMANCES LOW COST MAINTENANCE MAXIMUM SAFETY LONG LIFETIME WWW.CPMEUROPE.NL

40 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | May-June 2011 May-June 2011 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 41

 F: Conditioning
Therefore,
the new generation of con-
ventional conditioners (without using
pressure) are focussing on the variables
time, temperature and humidity where
time is maximised to four minutes at
temperatures of approximately 85 deg
C and capacities of up to 20tph. These
types of conditioners should guarantee a
“first-in, first-out” while also guaranteeing
retention time. The principle is rather
simple as generally the feed is brought up
to the required temperature by means of
steam and subsequently transferred into a
large screw conveyor in which the speed
of the mash is determined by a frequency
controller. The screw conveyor is steam or
electrically heated and insulated.
So, by means of the filling degree and the
frequency (at a certain pitch of the screw),
retention time can be guaranteed.
For those involved with feed milling
practises, it is well known that there are a
few concerns. Firstly, the height of installa-
tion for this new generation of conditioners
is not often available. For this reason, Van
Aarsen International BV in The Netherlands
is able to position the conditioner beside
the Long Time Conditioner (LTC).
The second concern is the control of
the pelleting process because the long
retention time leads to a delayed reaction
of the pellet press on changed variables.
This complicates the matter even further
due to the fact that the pellet mill cannot be
fed directly from the retention time screw.
Some suppliers therefore use small
intermediate bins between the retention
time screw and the pellet press with a feed-
ing screw for the pellet press below the bin,
leading possibly to contamination as well
as loss of temperature. Once again more
height is required and control becomes
even more critical to maintain due to the
use of buffer bins.
In order to avoid this, Van Aarsen has
integrated a feeding device in the Long
42
42 || InternatIonal AquAFeed || May-June
Time Conditioner, facilitating
the control and the required
height is easily a few less
meters. All these features have
been integrated into one con-
ventional conditioner, which is called
the “Conditioner LTC”.
For a standard control a PLC
is integrated into the pelleting line
control system and for a more
sophisticated control a PressM@
nager, the Van Aarsen pelleting line
automation based on remote I/O
with intelligence (meaning the system
is capable of achieving even higher goals
than a well-trained pellet mill operator).
Pelleting
After conditioning of the press meal
either the mash is cooled when heat-
treated mash is required (for instance
breeders) or, in most cases, the pelleting
process starts.
The pelleting process also has an effect
on the nutritional as well as the physical
quality of the feed. Experience has shown
that it is not only the capacity of the pellet
mill but the formulation, die specifications
as well as the required pellet quality are also
aspects that should be taken into account.
Where a Van Aarsen C900 is producing
45tph in South America, the same machine
is capable of reaching a capacity of 18tph in
a Dutch environment.The big difference can
be explained by formulation, die specifica-
tions and the required pellet quality. Also a
proper conditioning process influences the
output of the pellet mill.
However, the figures above are based on
the same conditioning process.
Of course, the pellet mill has a number
of variables that can be used to optimise
the process.
These variables vary from speed of
the die to hydraulic roller adjustment and
should only be used when the influence of
these options are thoroughly understood
by the operating personnel.
This practical know- how could also
be delivered by an intelligent pelleting line
automation system such as PressM@nager.
This system is capable of combining the
different variables in order to optimise the
process.
However, before continuing the pelleting
process, a small note needs to be made
about the dies being used.
As dies of reputable suppliers are gen-
erally all of the same material, which is
completely hardened, difference is gener-
ally found in the open area surface - OAS
(that is, the number of holes), which, of
InternatIonal AquAFeed
May-June 2011
2011
GROWiNG iS
course, is related to the capacity of the
pellet mill.
Therefore, when comparing dies, the
aspects that need to be considered are the
types of material to be used, the hardness
and whether surface hardening or complete
hardening will be used, the number of holes
beautiful
or the open area surface (OAS) and the
wall thickness of the die including possible
counter-drill.
When discussing capacity, using the same
formulation and the required pellet quality,
the die surface of the pellet mill (with the
same OAS) and the die thickness are the
major factors influencing capacity. These
together with the drive installed, determine
the KW per cm2, which is a factor to be
considered when researching the opera-
tional costs.
Practical trials carried out under 100
percent identical circumstances, have indi-
cated that differences in operational costs
among different types of pellet mills can
vary up to EUR50,000 per year which are,
of course, significant figures, but realistic
nevertheless.
Van Aarsen pellet mills are well know for
their design criteria, a huge die surface and
low die speed so that an acceptable capacity
is reached while still maintaining focus on
pellet quality (which is also influenced by
the retention time of the press meal in
the die).
This, of course, combined with an inter-
mediate drive allowing the possibility to
change die speed relatively easily (changing
a small pulley) without installing frequency
controllers for the generally larger drives
used on pellet mills. Furthermore, large roll-
er diameters create a small angle between
the die and the roller, which compacts the
feed smoothly before forced it into the die.
Of course, variables differ when using
the pellet mill for traditional, untraditional
or aqua feed but the principles remain the
same. As circumstances differ constantly,
only general guidelines can be provided
except for when detailed information is
available and a custom-made solution given
by those in the feed milling industry with
both feed on the ground.
The global go-getters of Van Aarsen are
always ready and willing to assist in optimis-
ing a processes, resulting in higher returns
and more ease in operation.
42 09
09
40 42
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33 22 97
00 33
FRANCE // 00
More inforMation:
FRANCE
Van Aarsen International Our hydrolysates have a superior concentration of Natural Active NutrientsTM
TM
P.O Box 5010 Thanks to their biological action on fish and shrimp growth mechanisms,
Heel, NL-6097 ZG THE NETHERLANDS
Website: www.aarsen.com
they boost your feed performance and help you substituting fish meal.
contact@aquativ-diana.com - www.aquativ-diana.com
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