6 T/H Cat Food Pellet Cooler in Australia

For a premium pet food manufacturer in Victoria, Australia, cooling had become a quality-control problem rather than simply the final temperature-reduction step. The plant was producing coated cat kibble for the super-premium market, and its existing rotary cooler was creating too much mechanical movement after coating. The kibble reached the cooler at approximately 65–70°C, when the recently applied digest-and-fat palatability coating was still relatively soft. As the product tumbled inside the old cooler, part of that coating transferred from the kibble surface to the equipment and other particles.

The problem was especially important because palatability was one of the main selling points of the product. The plant was running approximately 6 T/H of 8 mm cat kibble and needed to bring the coated product down to a temperature suitable for storage and bagging without increasing fines or damaging the surface treatment. Instead of replacing other parts of the pet food line, the manufacturer decided to upgrade only the cooling section and began evaluating a dedicated cat food pellet cooler in Australia.

After reviewing the plant’s throughput, kibble dimensions, incoming temperature and coating requirements, RICHI recommended the SKLF17×17 counterflow cooler. Its 6–8 T/H capacity provided sufficient margin above the plant’s normal 6 T/H production rate, while the counterflow cooling principle offered substantially gentler product handling than the rotary equipment it replaced.

Why Cooling Was Affecting the Quality of the Finished Cat Food

The customer’s production sequence was extrusion, drying, coating, cooling and packaging. This meant the cooler was positioned after the palatability coating had already been applied. At this stage, the objective was not simply to remove heat. The cooling system also had to protect the kibble surface and keep the coating distributed as uniformly as possible.

The plant’s typical coated product had the following characteristics:

• Finished kibble diameter: approximately 8 mm
• Typical kibble length: 10–12 mm
• Coating: digest and fat-based palatability enhancer
• Coating inclusion: approximately 5–8% depending on formulation
• Temperature entering the cooler: approximately 65–70°C
• Required discharge temperature: normally within about 3–5°C above ambient temperature

The previous rotary cooler could reduce product temperature, but the tumbling action was undesirable for freshly coated kibble. Surface abrasion also increased the amount of coating and fines accumulating inside the machine. This created additional cleaning requirements when the factory changed between chicken, fish and other formulations.

For the customer, therefore, the replacement cooler had to satisfy three conditions at the same time: approximately 6 T/H continuous throughput, controlled cooling close to ambient temperature, and low mechanical disturbance of the coated kibble.

Why the SKLF17×17 Was Selected for the Australian Plant

The SKLF17×17 was selected around the actual operating point rather than simply matching the nominal capacity of the upstream equipment. Its rated 6–8 T/H capacity allowed the plant to operate at its normal 6 T/H output without selecting a cooler that would immediately become undersized when the extrusion line was running at its upper production rate.

Another important consideration was hygiene. The manufacturer produces several premium formulas, so product-contact areas require regular cleaning between production campaigns. A stainless-steel configuration was therefore selected for the relevant contact surfaces to simplify cleaning and provide better resistance to residues from fats and palatability coatings.

How Counterflow Cooling Protects Coated Kibble

The operating principle differs considerably from the customer’s former rotary cooler. Rather than repeatedly lifting and dropping the kibble, the counterflow cooler forms a product bed and passes cooling air through the material. This allows heat to be removed with much less mechanical agitation.

For coated pet food, this is particularly useful because the product surface is most vulnerable immediately after the coating stage. Reducing unnecessary rubbing, rolling and impact helps preserve the physical appearance of the kibble and reduces the transfer of coating onto equipment surfaces.

During commissioning, cooling time and airflow were adjusted according to the actual kibble temperature and the ambient conditions in the plant. A test condition using kibble entering at approximately 68°C and an ambient temperature of around 22°C produced discharge temperatures close to 26°C after approximately 12 minutes of cooling. The exact cooling result varies with ambient temperature, airflow, product moisture, bed depth, kibble geometry and production rate, so the settings are adjusted rather than treated as fixed values.

Integrating the Cooler into the Existing Pet Food Line

This was an equipment replacement project, not a new complete pet food plant. The customer already had the extrusion, drying, coating and packaging sections required for commercial production. RICHI therefore focused on fitting the new cooler between the existing coating and downstream handling systems.

The arrangement followed this production sequence:

Extrusion → Drying → Palatability Coating → Counterflow Cooling → Finished Product Handling → Packaging

The Counterflow Pellet Cooler was installed on an elevated support structure so the cooled kibble could discharge into the downstream conveying and packaging section with minimal additional transfer equipment. This was important because every extra screw conveyor, long drop or aggressive transfer point after coating could introduce another opportunity for surface damage.

The machine was also configured for the plant’s Australian electrical supply. During engineering, RICHI reviewed the available installation height, discharge elevation, upstream coater connection, downstream conveyor position, dust and air handling requirements, and access space required for cleaning and maintenance.

Controlling Cooling Time Instead of Simply Maximizing Airflow

One of the operational changes made during commissioning was to treat cooling as a controlled process rather than running the fan at the highest possible setting. Excessive airflow is not automatically better for pet food. The required airflow depends on product temperature, ambient conditions, bed depth, residence time and kibble characteristics.

The operators therefore monitor the temperature of the kibble entering and leaving the cooler and adjust the operating conditions accordingly. During warmer periods in Victoria, the achievable discharge temperature naturally rises with ambient air temperature. For this reason, the practical specification is based on the temperature difference above ambient rather than expecting a fixed 25°C outlet temperature throughout the year.

This is particularly important for a cat food pellet cooler in Australia, where seasonal ambient conditions can change considerably. Designing around ambient +3–5°C gives the production team a more realistic cooling target than specifying one absolute discharge temperature for every operating condition.

Gentle Discharge Was Also Important

Cooling the kibble gently would provide limited benefit if the product were then subjected to aggressive mechanical handling during discharge. The customer therefore paid particular attention to the cooler’s discharge arrangement.

The SKLF system uses a controlled discharge mechanism that releases the cooled product without the continuous tumbling associated with the previous rotary cooler. This helps maintain kibble shape while reducing unnecessary rubbing between coated particles.

The change was also beneficial for fines control. Premium cat kibble has relatively strict appearance requirements, and excessive broken pieces or surface abrasion can affect both packaging presentation and the amount of material returned to the process.

Cleaning Between Different Cat Food Formulas

The Australian manufacturer does not run only one recipe. Chicken-based, fish-based and other premium formulas may use different fats, oils and palatability enhancers. Residue from one campaign therefore needs to be controlled before another formulation is introduced.

The cooler was designed with cleaning access in mind. Smooth product-contact surfaces make it easier for operators to remove kibble fragments, dust and oily residues during product changeovers. The plant established its cleaning schedule according to production sequencing and its own hygiene procedures rather than relying on one fixed cleaning interval.

This was an important purchasing factor because the customer was not simply looking for a machine capable of handling 6 T/H. The cooler had to fit the hygiene and product-change requirements of a commercial premium pet food facility.

Performance After Replacing the Rotary Cooler

After commissioning, the most noticeable difference was the condition of the kibble leaving the cooling section. The product surface remained more consistent because the cooling process no longer depended on continuous tumbling. The plant also achieved a more stable discharge temperature, allowing the downstream packaging section to operate without waiting for excessively warm product to cool separately.

The customer reported improvements in several areas:

• More uniform kibble temperature before packaging
• Less visible coating transfer inside the cooling equipment
• Lower mechanical abrasion of the 8 mm kibble
• Reduced accumulation of oily residue compared with the previous rotary system
• More consistent appearance between production batches
• Stable operation at the plant’s normal 6 T/H production rate

The improvement was particularly valuable because the coating represents both an ingredient cost and an important part of the finished product’s sensory performance. Preserving it through the final stages of production was therefore more valuable to this manufacturer than simply purchasing the lowest-cost cooling system.

Shipping and Installation in Victoria

The cat food pellet cooler was shipped from China to the Port of Melbourne and then transported to the customer’s facility in Victoria. Because the project involved replacing existing equipment, installation planning concentrated on minimizing disruption to the operating pet food line.

Before shipment, RICHI supplied the equipment drawings and interface information required for the customer to prepare the supporting structure and connection points. This allowed much of the site work to be completed before the cooler arrived.

During installation and commissioning, the main work included positioning the cooler, connecting the upstream and downstream equipment, checking the air system, configuring the electrical controls and establishing the initial cooling parameters using the customer’s actual coated kibble.

Why Cooler Selection Should Be Based on the Actual Kibble

This Australian project also illustrates why cooler capacity alone is not enough when selecting equipment for pet food. Two factories producing 6 T/H may require different configurations if one handles small uncoated pellets while the other produces larger kibble with a high-fat surface coating.

For coated cat food, RICHI normally evaluates several operating conditions before recommending a cooler:

• Required hourly capacity and expected peak production rate
• Kibble diameter, length and bulk density
• Temperature entering the cooler
• Ambient temperature and humidity at the installation site
• Type and amount of post-extrusion coating
• Required temperature before packaging
• Available installation height and plant layout
• Product changeover and cleaning requirements
• Downstream conveying method and allowable product breakage

These parameters determine not only the cooler model but also the residence time, airflow arrangement, discharge configuration and material of construction.

A Practical Upgrade for an Existing Australian Pet Food Plant

For this manufacturer, purchasing the SKLF17×17 was not part of a complete factory replacement. It solved a specific bottleneck in an otherwise functional production system. The existing extruder, dryer, coating equipment and packaging section could remain in service while the cooling stage was upgraded around the characteristics of premium coated cat kibble.

The project shows the role a properly selected cat food pellet cooler in Australia can play when finished-product quality depends on more than temperature alone. At approximately 6 T/H, the customer needed enough cooling capacity to match continuous production, but it also needed controlled residence time, gentle product handling, hygienic construction and compatibility with the existing coating and packaging sections.

For pet food manufacturers planning a similar retrofit, RICHI Machinery can select the cooler according to actual kibble size, production rate, incoming temperature, coating type, ambient conditions and existing plant layout. This allows the cooling system to be engineered around the finished product rather than selected only from a nominal tons-per-hour figure.