EP0401181B1 - Process and installation for automatic and continuous washing of feathers - Google Patents

Abstract

A washing procedure for feathers, especially duck and goose feathers, consists of placing the feathers in a drum or cage (5) which is taken through pre-wash, washing and rinsing stages in a series of separate compartments (21-24) in tanks (1, 2) before spin-drying. The pre-wash takes place in cold or warm water in the first tank (1), after which the cage or drum is transferred to the second tank for washing in hot water with detergent, followed by rinsing in cold or warm water, which can contain bleaching agents. The second, compartmented tank can deal with a number of drums or cages at the same time, and the water in it can be heated by immersed steam coil(s). The loading/unloading and transfer operations can all be controlled automatically.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an installation for the automatic and continuous washing of feathers, in particular goose and duck feathers.

The industrial washing machines for feathers known to date are normally designed like household washing machines, but with larger dimensions. The most common type of these industrial washing machines comprises a single tank into which is introduced and heated both the washing water with the addition of degreasers and the rinsing water, and in which a basket for containing the feathers, cylindrical in shape, made of perforated sheet metal and provided with an axial loading opening, rotates around its horizontal axis under the control of a motor unit.
This known type of washing machine has various drawbacks, among which: a high water consumption because the contents of the tank (approximately 1500 liters per 100 kg of feathers) must be discharged into the sewers and replaced after each washing and rinsing ; excessive energy consumption due, on the one hand, to the impossibility of recovering the heat from the washing discharged, normally at 40-50 ° C, given the small temperature gradient between the drain and filling water and, on the other hand, the need to introduce steam directly into the tank to obtain rapid heating (bubbling heating) and therefore supply the boiler with raw water, with a consequent increase in the salinity of the water in the boiler which imposes frequent hot purges causing energy losses additional; an insufficient washing due to the reabsorption by the feathers of the dirt in suspension as well on the washing water as on that of rinsing, at the time of the emptying of said water.

According to another known type of industrial washing machine, the feathers are introduced into a cylindrical container with a horizontal axis or tiltable in the manner of a concrete mixer, which is opened in correspondence with one of the bases and inside which are provided swirling arms of riddling. However, this type of washing machine, apart from having all the disadvantages of the first type of machine described, requires greater consumption of water, steam and energy for heating.

According to another known type of washing machine, the feathers are introduced into a cylindrical container fixed horizontally and open along the upper generatrix; inside of a container is provided with a shaft provided with blades and driven in rotation by an external geared motor to allow the washing of the feathers in water with degreasers, followed by rinsing and centrifugation. In this type of washing machine, part of the suspended dirt is still filtered by the feathers itself and moreover the total amount of water for washing or rinsing (30 l per kg of feathers) is sent to the sewers.

Document FR 2318264 discloses a method for cleaning poultry feathers, according to which the feathers are washed with liquid agents for dispersing and dissolving fats and grime, then they are dried, which method provides for wash the feathers using an organic liquid composed essentially of chlorinated hydrocarbons, in washing chambers, then dry them at a temperature up to 130 ° C in several drying chambers.
However, this type of process requires a large consumption of energy for heating the drying chambers and, in addition, a high consumption of cleaning liquids, with the great probability of causing pollution of the environment.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a method and by providing an installation for washing goose and duck feathers which makes it possible to reduce the consumption of water and energy for heating and, in at the same time, improves the quality of the washing itself, all with an automatic and continuous process and therefore with a considerable reduction in overall operating costs.

This result was achieved in accordance with the invention by adopting the idea of using an operational method according to the characteristics indicated in claim 1

And according to a preferred embodiment, an installation for the implementation of said method according to the characteristics indicated in claim 6

Other embodiments according to the invention are indicated in claims 2-5 and 7-9.

The advantages obtained thanks to the present invention essentially consist in obtaining a washing of the feathers of superior quality thanks to the subdivision and to the arrangement of the tanks for the different phases and to the removal of the dirt from the surface of the water from different tanks; in that the overall operating cost is lower thanks to the saving of water which can only be discharged from the washing tanks every two or three work cycles and energy saving for water heating; in that it allows automatic and continuous operation of the process.

These advantages and characteristics as well as others will be more and better understood by each person skilled in the art in the light of the description which will follow and with the aid of the appended drawings given by way of practical example of the invention, but to do not consider in the limiting sense; drawings in which: FIG. 1 shows an overall side view, partially in section, of a feather washing installation according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows the sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows the front view of a basket for the feathers for the installation of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 shows the side view of the basket of FIG. 3.

• chargement pneumatique des plumes dans un panier ou tambour récipient, positionné et maintenu immobile dans une première cuve contenant de l'eau froide/chaude et du savon;
• rotation appropriée dudit panier ainsi chargé dans ladite première cuve pour permettre le mouillage et le prélavage à froid des plumes;
• transfert du panier ainsi en rotation de ladite première cuve dans une deuxième cuve contenant de l'eau chaude et des produits détergents pour permettre le lavage proprement dit à chaud des plumes;
• transfert du panier ainsi en rotation dans quatre cuves successives contenant de l'eau froide et/ou chaude et d'éventuels produits blanchissants, avec recyclage continu à contre-courant pour permettre le rinçage des plumes ainsi lavées;
• transfert du panier dans une septième cuve contenant de l'eau froide et/ou chaude et inversion du sens de rotation du panier pour permettre le déchargement des plumes ainsi rincées;
• transfert des plumes de ladite septième cuve dans des hydro-extracteurs centrifugeurs afin d'éliminer des plumes l'eau en excès;
• éloignement des plumes ainsi centrifugées par rapport aux hydro-extracteurs.

With reference to the process for the automatic and continuous washing of feathers in accordance with the invention, this comprises, in order, the following operational phases:

• pneumatic loading of feathers into a basket or container drum, positioned and kept immobile in a first tank containing cold / hot water and soap;
• appropriate rotation of said basket thus loaded in said first tank to allow wetting and cold pre-washing of the feathers;
• transfer of the basket thus in rotation from said first tank to a second tank containing hot water and detergents to allow the actual washing of feathers;
• transfer of the basket thus rotating in four successive tanks containing cold and / or hot water and possible whitening products, with continuous recycling against the current to allow rinsing of the feathers thus washed;
• transfer of the basket to a seventh tank containing cold and / or hot water and reversal of the direction of rotation of the basket to allow the discharge of the feathers thus rinsed;
• transfer of the feathers from said seventh tank to centrifugal hydro-extractors in order to remove excess water from the feathers;
• distance of the feathers thus centrifuged from the hydro-extractors.

• une structure métallique 12 de support;
• une première cuve 1 de trempage et de prélavage des plumes, qui est alimentée avec de l'eau froide et/ou chaude et du savon, et pourvue inférieurement d'une grille brise-onde 10 et, sur le fond, d'une vanne de vidange 11;
• une deuxième cuve 2 de lavage proprement dit des plumes, qui est subdivisée longitudinalement en au-moins quatre sections 21, 22, 23, 24 séparées deux à deux par un serpentin à vapeur 25 pour le chauffage de l'eau qui s'étend sur toute la largeur de la cuve et jusqu'à une grille inférieure 20 brise-onde; ladite cuve 2 étant pourvue de deux vannes 26, 27 pour l'alimentation par le haut de l'eau froide et des produits détergents et d'une vanne pour l'évacuation 28 par le bas;
• une série de quatre cuves 3, 4, 5, 6 indépendantes pour le rinçage répété des plumes déjà lavées, qui sont en communication entre elles au moyen de tubes 36, et sont en outre éventuellement pourvues d'une grille brise-onde 35; la paroi de séparation de la première cuve de rinçage est pourvue à l'intérieur d'un conduit ouvert en correspondance de la surface libre de l'eau pour le recyclage de l'eau de rinçage au moyen d'une pompe et d'un tuyau (non représenté) pour obtenir le rinçage à contre-courant. La cuve 6 est en outre pourvue de deux vannes 37 et 38 pour l'alimentation par le haut avec de l'eau froide et la cuve 3 est pourvue en outre d'une vanne 39 pour l'évacuation par le fond;
• une septième cuve 7 pour le déchargement des plumes lavées et rincées, avec une vanne 41 pour l'évacuation latérale dans un canal 43 par amenée des plumes mélangées à l'eau jusqu'aux hydro-extracteurs 80. Lesdites cuves 1 à 7 etant avantageusement disposées alignées et juxtaposées deux à deux;
• plusieurs récipient, constitués par des paniers ou tambours 5 en tôle perforée ou en grillage métallique de forme cylindrique à axe horizontal, avec à l'intérieur un secteur 50 spiro dal et avec une des bases pouvue d'une ouverture 51 pour le chargement des plumes et dont la fermeture est obtenue au moyen d'un cône de fils de plastique en forme de pinceau et d'une autre ouverture 52 pour l'expulsion des plumes; chaque panier pouvant tourner autour de son axe sur un support amovible 40 au moyen d'un moteur électrique correspondant 54 dans les deux sens de rotation et présentant un encombrement tel qu'il peut être loger dans chacune des cuves de traitement;
• des moyens pour le chargement pneumatique des plumes avec écartement des fils de plastique de ladite ouverture 51 de chaque panier 5 à l'arrêt dans la première cuve, au moyen de l'introduction de l'extrémité conique d'un tube 61 relié à un silo 60 des plumes brutes et asservi à un ventilateur 62 à hauteur d'élévation élevée, auxquels sont associés des moyens d'aspiration 63 de la poussières;
• des moyens pour le transfert des paniers 5 comprenant un rail horizontal 70 situé au-dessus des cuves 1 à 7 et s'étendant sur toute la longueur de celles-ci, supporté par la structure 12; un chariot 71 mobile sur ledit rail, asservi à un moteur électrique 72 et portant un support suspendu 73 avec mouvement vertical guidé, et actionné par un moteur électrique 74 pour la prise des différents paniers 5;
• un ou plusieurs hydro-extracteurs centrifugeurs 80 associés à la septième cuve 7;
• des moyens connus (non-représentés) pour l'éloignement pneumatique des plumes centrifugées par lesdits hydro-extracteurs 80 vers un silo de stockage des plumes lavées.

Reduced to its essential structure and with reference to the accompanying drawings, an installation for washing feathers according to the method in accordance with the present invention, comprises:

• a metallic support structure 12;
• a first tank 1 for soaking and prewashing the feathers, which is supplied with cold and / or hot water and soap, and provided below with a wave-breaking grid 10 and, on the bottom, with a valve drain 11;
• a second tank 2 for washing the feathers proper, which is subdivided longitudinally into at least four sections 21, 22, 23, 24 separated in pairs by a steam coil 25 for the heating the water which extends over the entire width of the tank and up to a lower grid 20 wavebreaker; said tank 2 being provided with two valves 26, 27 for supplying cold water and detergent products from above and a valve for discharging 28 from below;
• a series of four independent tanks 3, 4, 5, 6 for the repeated rinsing of the feathers already washed, which are in communication with one another by means of tubes 36, and are also optionally provided with a wave-breaking grid 35; the partition wall of the first rinsing tank is provided inside an open duct corresponding to the free surface of the water for recycling the rinsing water by means of a pump and a hose (not shown) to obtain backwashing. The tank 6 is further provided with two valves 37 and 38 for feeding from above with cold water and the tank 3 is further provided with a valve 39 for evacuation from the bottom;
• a seventh tank 7 for discharging the washed and rinsed feathers, with a valve 41 for the lateral discharge in a channel 43 by bringing the feathers mixed with water to the hydro-extractors 80. Said tanks 1 to 7 being advantageously arranged aligned and juxtaposed two by two;
• several receptacles, constituted by baskets or drums 5 made of perforated sheet metal or of metallic mesh of cylindrical shape with horizontal axis, with inside a sector 50 spiro dal and with one of the bases may have an opening 51 for loading the feathers and the closing of which is obtained by means of a cone of plastic wires in the form of a brush and another opening 52 for the expulsion of the feathers; each basket being able to rotate about its axis on a removable support 40 by means of a corresponding electric motor 54 in both directions of rotation and having a size such that it can be accommodated in each of the treatment tanks;
• means for the pneumatic loading of the feathers with spacing of the plastic wires from said opening 51 of each basket 5 when stopped in the first tank, by means of the introduction of the conical end of a tube 61 connected to a silo 60 of raw feathers and controlled by a fan 62 at a high elevation height, with which dust extraction means 63 are associated;
• means for the transfer of the baskets 5 comprising a horizontal rail 70 situated above the tanks 1 to 7 and extending over the entire length of the latter, supported by the structure 12; a carriage 71 mobile on said rail, slaved to an electric motor 72 and carrying a suspended support 73 with guided vertical movement, and actuated by an electric motor 74 for gripping the various baskets 5;
• one or more centrifugal hydro-extractors 80 associated with the seventh tank 7;
• known means (not shown) for pneumatic removal of the centrifuged feathers by said hydro-extractors 80 to a silo for storing washed feathers.

Advantageously, in correspondence with the first tank 1, there are provided: a photoelectric cell for aligning the opening 51 of the basket 5 in the stopped position in said tank with the pneumatic means 61 for loading the feathers and the means suction 63 of the loading dust.
In addition, each section of the tank 2 and the tanks 3 to 6 are provided with a side bowl 30 in which the dirt, in particular the fat which is in suspension on the water, is poured out by leaving by a corresponding weir. : a pump 39 provides for the reintroduction of the water released from the dirt on the opposite side into the corresponding tank 2-3-4-5-6 at the same time creating a current on the surface which promotes the entrainment of the dirt towards said bowl 30.

The operating cycle is as follows. An empty basket or drum 5, coming from the feather unloading tank 7, is positioned by means of the movement of the carriage 71 and of the support 73 stopped in the first tank 1; after introduction of the end of the loading tube 61 into the opening 51 of the basket and after a predetermined time, a diverter valve placed on the suction duct closes the inlet of the feathers and opens the air inlet of to remove feathers from the fan and tube 61 while the suction device 63 eliminates the loading dust. Then, the tube 61 is removed and the basket 5 thus loaded is rotated in the direction which allows the feathers to be kept inside thereof, thereby obtaining their soaking and their prewashing cold or hot, by means water from the tank. After a predetermined time, the basket, still rotating, is lifted by the support 73 and transported by the carriage 71 in a free section of the washing tank 2 to obtain, with a predetermined downtime, a complete washing of the feathers : the water with the detergents being heated continuously by the steam coils 25. At the end of the washing, the basket 5, still in rotation, is positioned with a predetermined stopping time in the first rinsing tank 3 and then in each of the following 4-5-6; once extracted from the last rinsing tank 6, the basket is positioned in the unloading tank 7 by inverting the direction of rotation, so that the feathers come out through the opening 52. At this stage, the feathers which out of the basket are discharged by gravity into the hydro-extractors 80.
After centrifugation, the feathers, washed and pneumatically wrung, are sent to a storage silo. When the empty basket is removed from the tank 7, it is again transported to the loading tank 1 for the next cycle.

It is quite obvious that the installation is designed to treat several baskets simultaneously loaded with feathers, the process being managed by appropriate programming of basket movements.

Claims (9)

1. Process for automatic and continuous washing of feathers, especially of geese and ducks, characterized in that it contains the following phases in order;

   - positioning by means of a basket or drum (5) stopping in a first vat (1) for the pneumatic loading of the crude feathers and successive rotation of the basket loaded in this way around its horizontal axis in such a direction that the feathers are kept inside it and that it permits the soaking and pre-washing with water of the said first vat;

   - transfer of the said basket (5) and rotation in a second vat (2) for the actual washing;

   - transfer of the said basket (5) and rotation in each of the vats (3, 4, 5, 6) for repeated rinsing of the washed feathers;

   - transfer of the said basket (5) and rotation in a seventh vat (7) to permit the feathers to be discharged in cold water, obtained by reversing the direction of rotation of the basket in such a way as to cause the feathers to emerge;

   - evacuation of the feathers from the seventh vat (7) and their introduction into one or several centrifuge water extractors (8);

   - continuous pneumatic evacuation of the centrifuged feathers from the said water extractors and sending them to a storage silo.
2. Process in accordance with claim 1) characterized in that the said soaking and pre-washing of the feathers occurs in cold or hot water.
3. Process in accordance with claim 1) characterized in that the said actual washing of the feathers occurs in hot water containing detergent products.
4. Process in accordance with claim 1), characterized in that the said rinsing of the feathers occurs in counterflow in cold water with the possible addition of whitening products.
5. Process in accordance with claim 1), characterized in that it contains simultaneous treatment of features contained in several of the said baskets (5).
6. Installation for automatic washing and content of feathers according to the process of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes:

   - a first vat (1) for loading the feathers into a corresponding basket (5) for successive soaking and pre-washing;

   - a second vat (2) for the actual washing of the feathers which contains several positions to enable several baskets (5) to be positioned simultaneously and which is provided with ribbons (5) for heating by vapour for immersion;

   - several other vats (3, 4, 5, 6) in cascade, for rinsing the washed feathers, which are fed with cold water and possibly whitening products, the said vats also being provided with means of continuous recycling of the water in counterflow;

   - a last vat (7) fed with cold and/or hot water, in which the feathers are evacuated by means of basket (5);

   - several baskets or drums (5) made of perforated sheet or with a metal grid, in cylindrical form, with an internal sector of spiral form, and with one of the bases provided with a first opening (51) for loading the feathers and another opening (52) for evacuation of the feathers; each basket being mounted on a fixed support (40) and with the possibility of turning around its own horizontal axis in both directions, so that rotation in one direction involves keeping the feathers inside and rotation in the other direction causes their evacuation through the opening (52);

   - pneumatic means (61, 62) for loading the feathers through the said opening (51) of each basket, corresponding to the soaking and pre-washing vat (1);

   - means for the transfer of each of the said baskets (5) of the said treatment vats (1 to 7) arranged to be aligned and adjacent, with a horizontal rail (70) situated above the vats, a moving carriage (71) on the said rail and carrying a suspended support (73) with vertical movement for taking the baskets (5) one by one;

   - water extraction means by centrifuging (80);

   - means of removing the water extractors of the dried feathers and sending them to a storage silo.
7. Installation in accordance with claim 6), characterized in that, corresponding to the soaking and pre-washing vat (1) of the feathers, a photo-electric cell is provided for aligning the pneumatic means (61) of loading the feathers with the opening (51) of each basket (5) in a fixed position in the said vat (1) and means (63) of emitting the dust from loading.
8. Installation in accordance with claim 6), characterized in that the said vat (2) for actual washing of the feathers contains several reception positions of the corresponding baskets (5), which are bounded by the said heating ribbons (25).
9. Installation in accordance with claim 6), characterized in that each of the vats (2 to 6) is provided with a lateral basin (30) communicating with the free water surface contained in it for recovering the dirt, particularly floating grease; an immersed pump (39) at the bottom of the basin, pumping the water into the corresponding vat in such a way as to generate a surface current intended to favour the movement of the grease towards the said basin (30).

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