GB944830A - - Google Patents

Abstract

944,830. Treating peas and beans; animal feedstuffs. WENGER MANUFACTURING Inc. Nov. 20, 1961 [Sept. 5, 1961], No. 41363/61. Headings A2B and A2Q. The animal growth inhibiting constituents in oleaginous agricultural products, e.g. soy beans, field beans, peas, are destroyed by continuously advancing the ground product through a first zone in which its temperature is raised and its moisture content increased whilst being continuously agitated and then through a second zone where it is similarly agitated, compressed and again raised in temperature. Ground or flaked soy beans from a hopper 10 are moved continuously along steam jacketed conditioning tubes 14, 28 by cut flight screw conveyers 18, 30 which mix and blend the product with steam admitted through inlets (not shown). The product traverses the tubes in approximately 2 minutes reaching a temperature of approximately 200‹ to 210‹ F. and taking up an additional 5 to 10% moisture. It then passes through a throat 34 for an approximately 15 to 25 second mixing and conditioning in a steam-jacketed tube 36, having a steam inlet 126, and mixing paddles on a rotating shaft (Fig. 4, not shown), and the temperature is maintained or slightly increased and evened out over the whole material before it passes through a throat 48 into a steam-jacketed tube head 50 and forced by pressure screws 66, 68 (Fig. 5) through holes 99 in a die 98 into a steam-jacketed nose head 58 housing a conical screw 70 which further compresses the material before forcing it through holes in an end die 104, the issuing ribbons being cooled by the sudden release of pressure and cut into small lengths, e.g. of pellet size, by knives 114 secured to the extension of the shaft of screw 70 and rotating over the exterior surface of the die 104. The pressure on the product in heads 50, 58 increased, if necessary, by steam admitted through an inlet 59 in the head 58, ensures a temperature rise of the product during its 30 second passage to approximately 250‹ F. before its final extrusion through the die 104. The screws 18, 30, 66, 70 and paddler 40 are rotated by variable speed motors to ensure a steady and continuous flow of product through the apparatus.