The Problem

Kraft Foods produces Stove Top® Stuffing Mix. To meet increased consumer demand, KF installed a new handling system. During the startup process, unacceptable variations in the particle size distribution of the bread crumbs occurred. It was imperative that the problem be quickly resolved, so that the high cost associated with unnecessary down time and wasted product could be minimized.

Jenike & Johanson’s on-site evaluation determined the problem was due to segregation in a new storage bin. For materials containing a wide range of particle sizes, such as the bread crumbs, sifting is the most prevalent segregation mechanism. We determined that the bread crumb bin was funnel flow, whereby the material flows primarily in a channel located above the discharge point.

Jenike & Johanson's Solution

Jenike & Johanson quickly determined that the solution to this segregation problem was to convert the flow pattern from funnel flow to mass flow (the flow pattern where discharge of any material from the bin causes the entire contents to move).

A BINSERT® design was recommended to provide mass flow with the use of a smaller, steeper hopper placed inside an existing hopper. In this case, a pyramidal inner hopper would be required.

The Result

Kraft installed our recommended inner pyramidal hopper and valley plates in the existing bread crumb bin. Since the installation, segregation has been noticeably reduced, the size distribution of discharged particles has been much more uniform, and, as a result, product quality has increased. According to Mario Suarez at Kraft General Foods, “the recommended modification, implemented in an extremely short period, has proven very cost effective. We were able to utilize an existing bin, which did not provide good performance, and simply added an internal hopper to achieve excellent performance. The bottom line is product quality has increased."

[ Complete Article ]

Email This Article