Preventing Plugs in Food Processing Applications
Bulk foodstuffs back up in a chute. Production stops. Maintenance can’t clear. Time ticks. The company lost out in material loss, production, labor, late deliveries, and more.
The story’s real, and worst of all, their reputation was damaged due to delays.
Blocked chutes can domino into big problems: damaged equipment, wasted material, stopped production, and perhaps even injuries. Early alerts let operators clear chutes and remove partial plugs and quickly restart.
BinMaster flow detection sensors alert operators early when chutes need attention. Relays trigger alerts so operators know there’s a problem via an indication on a point-level alarm panel or to a control room.
Technologies for Plugged Chute Detection
Flow Detect uses a microwave Doppler effect to sense whether material is flowing
Capacitance probes detect the presence or absence of material
Rotaries and vibrating probes can also be installed in y-pipes to sense blockages
Plugged Chutes By the Numbers
Chutes plug due to moisture, compaction, buildup, particle size, interlocking material, foreign objects, chute design, and up-stream or down-stream equipment failure.
The German Engineering Federation found that 75% of respondents experienced chute blockages. The average downtime was six hours, translating to $250,000 per incident.
EHS Today said that 25% of workplace accidents in the manufacturing industry are related to blocked or poorly maintained machinery, including chutes.
The problem can be tackled by prevention with better chute design and sensors to alert operators of a flow or no-flow condition.
“We’re get a lot of calls about chute detection,” said Nathan Grube, BinMaster VP Central Region. “Companies are tightening processes. They forecast success, which they should. But that means they have less room for error.”
No one should accept hours of downtime because of something preventable. Grube said chute detection complements good chute design to prevent damaged or wasted material.
“Usually, we get a call after a plugged chute incident,” Grube added. “It’s just one of those times where they kind of mumble, 'I wish we would have done it sooner.'"