5T/H Pet Food Dryer in New Zealand

Project background

The customer's original three-layer belt dryer has been running for 7 consecutive years, and there are three main problems:

The production capacity is only 3 tons/hour, which cannot meet the needs of new orders from Japan and South Korea; the energy consumption efficiency is low, and the steam consumption per ton of product is 480 kg; the drying uniformity is poor, and the final moisture content fluctuates between 8-12%, which seriously affects the stability of the subsequent grease spraying process. These problems cause customers to lose a lot of potential export revenue every year.

Customer demand analysis

Regarding the upgrade requirements of the pet dryer, the customer had in-depth communication with RICHI engineers at the beginning of the pet food dryer in New Zealand project.

• In terms of production capacity, the new pet food dryer in New Zealand must stably reach a processing capacity of 5 tons/hour and be able to adapt to the switching requirements of different formula products, including differentiated drying requirements of high meat content formula (60% fresh meat) and grain-based formula (30% grain).
• In terms of product quality, the final moisture must be precisely controlled within a narrow range of 9.5±0.5%, and the surface of the particles must not crack or over-dry, which places extremely high demands on temperature control.
• Energy efficiency is another key consideration. New Zealand's "Carbon Neutral 2050" plan requires companies to reduce carbon emissions year by year, and the new equipment must save more than 30% energy than the original system.
• At the same time, the equipment needs to be compatible with the existing biomass energy system in the plant area and can flexibly use steam and electric heating as two heat sources to cope with the risk of energy price fluctuations. Special emphasis is placed on reducing the loss of heat-sensitive nutrients (such as Omega-3 fatty acids) during the drying process, and the retention rate must reach more than 92%.
• Intelligence is the core requirement of the project. The customer hopes that the new pet food dryer in New Zealand can be seamlessly integrated into its manufacturing execution system (MES) to achieve automatic calling of drying curves, real-time monitoring of energy consumption, and automatic collection of quality data. These functions are crucial for it to maintain EU and US FDA certification, and are also necessary conditions for meeting the traceability requirements of major importing countries.

Production process and product characteristics

The pet animal feed factory project adopts a typical New Zealand production process.

In the raw material pretreatment stage, grass-fed beef and wild marine fish are quick-frozen at -25℃ for freshness, and are fully blended with organic oats, seaweed and other raw materials in a twin-shaft mixer. After conditioning, the moisture content of the material is controlled in the ideal range of 28-32%. In the extrusion and puffing stage, a twin-screw pet food extrusion machine is used to form at 125-135℃, and the puffing degree is precisely controlled at 1.25-1.35g/cm³. This parameter directly affects the taste and digestibility of the final product.

The customer's product lines are mainly divided into three categories:

• Functional dog food is added with New Zealand's unique green-lipped mussel extract, which is rich in natural Omega-3 fatty acids and requires particularly mild drying conditions (65-75℃).
• Complete cat food contains 30% fresh marine fish and is extremely sensitive to temperature control. Overheating can cause protein denaturation.
• The most special is the veterinary prescription food series, which adds heat-sensitive ingredients such as probiotics. During the drying process, the oxygen content (O₂＜3%) needs to be strictly controlled to avoid oxidative damage.

These differentiated requirements pose a great challenge to the pet food dryer in New Zealand.

Technical advantages of RICHI pet food dryer in New Zealand

After a comprehensive evaluation of international mainstream suppliers, the customer finally chose the five-layer belt dryer customized and developed by RICHI. This decision was based on six core technical advantages.

1. The innovative zoned temperature control system sets five independent temperature zones: 65℃ preheating and shaping on the upper layer, 75℃ core dehydration on the middle and upper layer, 70℃ balanced drying on the middle layer, 60℃ slow rehydration on the middle and lower layer, and 55℃ final moisture balance on the lower layer.
2. The monitoring network composed of 32 high-precision infrared moisture sensors provides real-time feedback on the material status of each layer, and automatically adjusts the parameters of each section through intelligent algorithms to ensure precise control of the moisture gradient.
3. The airflow organization design reflects engineering innovation. The upper layer adopts a countercurrent heat exchange design, which increases the thermal efficiency by 18% compared with the traditional method; the lower layer innovatively adopts a cross-flow cooling system to avoid particle rehydration. Each layer is equipped with an independent condensation and dehumidification device, and the dew point control accuracy reaches ±1℃. This technology has been applied for an international patent.
4. In view of the high humidity environment in New Zealand (average relative humidity of 80%), the moisture-proof design is specially strengthened, and the protection level of all electrical components meets the IP66 standard.
5. In view of the special conditions in New Zealand, the equipment has undergone a number of localized improvements. The seismic design uses a hydraulic damping system imported from Germany; all contact parts use 316L stainless steel to resist corrosion from the marine climate; the energy system can flexibly switch between biomass steam and electric heating modes to adapt to New Zealand's changing energy supply conditions. These customized designs ensure long-term and reliable operation of the equipment in the local environment.
6. Sustainable design runs through every detail. The heat recovery system can capture 35% of the waste heat from the exhaust gas to preheat the fresh air, saving a lot of energy costs every year. The conveyor belt is made of aviation-grade carbon fiber composite material, which is 40% lighter than traditional mesh belts and has a service life that is 3 times longer.
7. The dust removal system combines cyclone separation and activated carbon adsorption in two stages, and the emission concentration is controlled below 5mg/m³, far exceeding New Zealand's environmental protection standards. The noise of the whole machine is controlled below 68 decibels, creating a comfortable workshop environment.

Project implementation and operation results

The installation and commissioning of this pet food dryer in New Zealand took 1 week. Our engineering team carried out 5 customized modifications for the customer's existing production line. The connection method of the inlet and outlet system was especially optimized to solve the temporary mismatch problem caused by the difference in production capacity between the new and old equipment.

The steam pipeline uses nano-insulation materials imported from Sweden, and the heat loss is reduced to less than 3%. This improvement can save about 18,000 New Zealand dollars in steam costs each year.

The operating data after production is exciting. The actual processing capacity is stable at 5.2 tons/hour, which is 62% higher than the old equipment. The product quality has been significantly improved, the standard deviation of moisture content has been reduced from 1.8% to 0.4%, and the scrap rate of the subsequent spraying process has been reduced from 5% to 0.3%.

The energy consumption performance is particularly outstanding, with steam consumption per ton of product reduced to 310 kg, saving about NZ$220,000 in energy costs annually. The test of thermosensitive nutrient retention rate shows that the retention rate of Omega-3 fatty acids reaches 93.5%, and the survival rate of probiotics remains in the range of 85-88%, which fully meets the requirements of high-end products.

Market feedback exceeded expectations. The "Joint Care" series of dog food produced using the new equipment set a sales record in Japan's largest pet chain store, with the price of a single product reaching 4 times that of ordinary products. What is even more proud is that the shelf life of the product has been extended from the original 12 months to 18 months, providing a key advantage for opening up long-distance markets. These achievements directly helped customers increase their annual sales by 35% and their profit margin by 8 percentage points.

If you are interested in this pet food dryer in New Zealand project, want to know more about the equipment, watch the operation video, feel free to contact RICHI MACHINERY!