Animal Feed

The production of animal feed plays a leading role in the agricultural food industry, with experts predicting that global production levels are nearing a landmark 1 billion metric tons per year. Made from raw agricultural products, it’s formulated to meet specific animal nutritional requirements for different species of livestock during different stages of life.

Due to the nature of the industry, animal feed plants often face difficulties in the storage and transportation of powder, granular and pelleted materials. This is often a result of the large amounts of differing materials that the same plant has to deal with.

Primasonics® Acoustic Cleaners and the Prima Whip™ are ideal for hygienically cleaning silos and hoppers without the need for expensive and dangerous man entry into the vessels. They have proved their worth within filters, ensuring total cleaning and extending filter bag life while also preventing damage.

Solving Problems Within the Animal Feed Industry

Poor feed storage conditions, such as high moisture or a lack of protection from the elements, can greatly increase the prevalence of mould and vermin. Although the presence of mould doesn’t necessarily mean mycotoxin production has occurred, even a small amount of mould can contain mycotoxins if temperature and humidity conditions are met.

Other common problems that arise within an animal feed plant include:

Blend Uniformity

One of the best ways to avoid problems like ratholing, hot spots and bridging in silos and hoppers is to schedule regular maintenance checks with Primasonics. Regular check-ups can help address issues before they become overly complex and can also help reduce downtime.

Cross contamination

Contamination between product batches has long been seen as a serious problem within animal feed mills. To ensure silos and hoppers are completely empty acoustic cleaners can be placed on the top of silos in existing manholes.

How Acoustic Cleaners Benefit Animal Feed Plants

Good storage practice is one of the best ways to prevent mycotoxin contamination and other issues within agricultural and animal feed industry. The ultimate way of ensuring this is by organising regular maintenance checks for common appliances – such as boilers, mixers, silos and hoppers – which is where Primasonics can help.

Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners provide a long-term, preventative solution to material buildup and blockages. Not only will our devices remove existing blockages and areas of compacted material, they will also prevent buildup from developing in the future.

In a little more details, some other benefits of Acoustic Cleaning include:

  • Non Invasive – Acoustic Cleaners do not produce high-impact blasts, but are instead designed to reflect sound from solid surfaces – unlike traditional industrial equipment cleaning methods such as industrial vibrators and airblasters. This means that the soundwaves they transmit only penetrate targeted materials, rather than the structure of bulk loading equipment. Acoustic Cleaning technology therefore prevents structural damage caused by intense machinery cleaning methods.
  • Reducing downtime and extending the life of assets – Unlike traditional equipment cleaners, which only deal with localised issues, the frequency of Acoustic Cleaners can be tailored to target larger areas. Additionally, by regularly dislodging all compacted materials, Acoustic Cleaners can successfully prevent surface buildup and subsequently reduce the effects it can have upon production rates.
  • Increased Efficiency – Material buildup restricts the storage capacity of dry bulk loading equipment and in severe cases, causes what is referred to as “funnel flow”.  Not only does this mean machinery operates at a reduced rate, but stagnant buildup is effectively wasted material and therefore wasted money. However, by eliminating all forms of surface buildup, Acoustic Cleaners will maintain the mass flow of materials and therefore the maximum working efficiency of your equipment.
  • Health and Safety – Using a remote, modern cleaning system means that we avert the dangers posed by other traditional cleaning methods, such as a technician entering a hazardous environment. This method introduces significant risk from falling material and from the possible presence of gases. Our modern and cutting-edge equipment means that our services are efficient and safe.

Our customers save time and money due to our cutting-edge industrial cleaning solutions which have extended the life of their assets, reduced downtime and ensured safety comes first.

The Science Behind Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners

Simply put, acoustic cleaning is a process in which sound is used to create rapid pressure fluctuations within an industrial appliance. These pressure fluctuations are transmitted into the particulate matter or bonded dry material, causing the solid particles to dislodge from the surface they are bonded to. Once dislodged, the materials fall away due to gravity.

The technology can increase the efficiency of animal feed plants, provide improved thermal conductivity, prevent material blockage and remove particulate build up wherever dust, powders or granular materials are processed, generated, stored or transported.

Our acoustic cleaning services provide fast, safe and environmentally friendly solutions to remove contaminants from large industrial infrastructure and processing units.