The document discusses various conveying systems used in feed plants to transport feed materials effectively, highlighting their importance in minimizing costs and controlling contamination. It outlines different types of systems, such as gravity systems, screw conveyors, belt conveyors, and pneumatic systems, detailing their advantages and disadvantages. The selection of appropriate conveying equipment is essential due to the varying characteristics of bulk feed ingredients.

1. 1 | P a g e Dr Balakesava Reddy Jangam NTR CVSc Gannavaram
CONVEYING SYSTEMS IN FEED PLANT
 Most of the commercial feed plants will have more than one floor.
 Feed has to be transported from one place to another place in the feed plant and this is being
done by various types of conveying systems.
 The conveying systems used in the plant should be minimized in order to reduce the cost.
 Material handling and storage are becoming more important as feed companies continue to
handle an increasing number of ingredients in bulk form.
 These ingredients vary widely in density, particle size, flowability etc. and this makes the
selection of conveying equipment and storage bins a difficult problem.
 The conveying equipment design and application should be done in such a way to control
contamination in the conveying equipment.
Gravity System:
 Gravity principle is commonly used in all the feed plants to reduce the cost in
conveying the feed material.
 The material can flow without any additional expenditure.
 The material moves unaided.
 If pellet mill is in 2nd
or 3rd
floor, the pellets can be sent to godown by gravity.
 If mixer is at height, the mash can be sent to pellet mill without cost.
Types of conveying systems, which require power, commonly used in feed plants and in other
industries to convey the raw material and for transmitting the finished product from one place
to another are given below.
1. Screw conveying system
2. Belt conveying system
3. Oscillating conveying system
4. Pneumatic conveying system
5. Drag conveying system
6. Bucket elevators
7. Vibratory feeders.
1. Screw conveying system:
 The screw conveyer consists of a conveyer screw, rotating in stationary trough.
 Material placed in the trough, through inlet openings is moved along its length in a
smooth and spiral motion by the rotation of the screw which is supported by
intermediate bearing hangers.
 The units are normally fully enclosed and can be effectively sealed to prevent the
entrance of dust, fumes or moisture.
 By starting motor drive, the conveyer screw will be moving and the material will be
conveyed to outlet from inlet.
 Usually loading and unloading of Lorries, wagons etc. can be done by these screw
conveyers in countries where there are labour problems.
 In feed plants, this is used from grinder to mixer.
 Material can be conveyed in horizontal way

2. 2 | P a g e Dr Balakesava Reddy Jangam NTR CVSc Gannavaram
2. Belt conveyers:
 These belt conveyers carry most of the materials at low cost per ton.
 This can be used in inclined, or declined and horizontal position.
 Mash material cannot be conveyed in this.
 For larger feed mixing plants in particular belt conveyer should be considered for
conveying the basic bulk materials such as grains, brans etc. which are going into
storage for processing and the finished feed going into storage prior to its transport.
Belt conveyers are of two types:
a. Troughed belt conveyers - can be used in feed industry,
b. Flat belt conveyers - cannot be used in feed industry.
3. Oscillating conveyers:
 In this, the materials move along a trough in a uniform continuous flow by an upward,
forward oscillative motion of the trough.
 This consists of 3 basic materials:
I. The trough carrying the material
II. A reactor of springs assembly to store and release inertial forces at a natural
frequency and
III. The positive stroke eccentric drive, which provides and maintains the conveying
action.
Advantages:
 Because of the natural gentle conveying action, these are ideal for fine, dusty or lumpy
materials.
 Since these conveyers have only one conveying medium (trough) are very compact.
 These are advantageous for handling food products where cleanliness is important.
Disadvantages:
 Not advisable in feed plants since segregation of material takes place so that light
material comes to top and dense-material will go to bottom.
4. Pneumatic conveying system:
 The conveying medium in pneumatic conveying system is the air, which because of its
velocity imparts energy to each of the particle of the material to move along with the
conveying tube.
 Here, the air is blown inside and this causes negative pressure.
 For blowing the air, usually, blower or cyclone is used.
 The distance and quantum of material to be transported dictates the motor power to
send the air.
 This system conveys material vertically.
Advantages:
 It may be used to perform additional functions such as drying, heating or cooling etc.
while the material is being conveyed.
 It has few moving parts and so safe for the operating persons.
 Highly flexible in its layout.
Disadvantages:
 Efficient dust controlling system should be maintained.
 There is a possibility of fine powders sometimes stick into the sides of the blowers.
 This system is costlier.

3. 3 | P a g e Dr Balakesava Reddy Jangam NTR CVSc Gannavaram
 Separation of mixed materials (segregation) may occur due to wide particle range if
application is not proper.
5. Drag conveyers:
 It consists of a series of paddles attached to an endless chain which is moved along a
stationary trough.
 The chain will be moving by connecting to motor.
 The paddles move along with the screw and these will be touching the ends of trough
and so drags all the material.
 This can be used in horizontal, decline or incline directions.
Advantages:
 The clean out is 100%.
 In recent years the feed industry is commonly using feed additives which are very fine
materials and 100% cleanout is very important.
 Commonly used in most of the feed industries now a days due to its self-cleaning
system.
 Prevents the contamination when a number of different ingredients are conveyed using
the same conveying system.
6. Bucket elevators:
 Bucket elevators will handle practically all loose materials if the lumps are not too
large for buckets.
 This system is not suited to materials which are sticky and which will not flow.
 Used for vertical movement of materials.
 It has 2 pullies, one at the top and the other at the bottom.
 The bucket size of the bucket elevator will be designed as per the quantity of material
and distance to be conveyed.
7. Vibratory feeders:
 The vibratory feeders provide simple and easy means of conveying the flow of bulk
materials.
 The electromagnetic powered vibratory feeder is a high frequency reciprocating
machine capable of conveying bulk materials from storage to processing or between
processes at a continuous controlled rate of flow.
Advantages:
 The adjustable electrical control of the flowrate is one of the advantages of this kind of
feeder.
 It enables the user to supply the bulk material to processing equipment at their most
efficient operating capacities.
 Numerous flow rate settings can be made with a single control for minimum to
maximum capacity.