Galloping Gourmets
Baileys Horse Feeds have
installed a new Clayton Steam Generator which will help maintain the
finest quality products and speed up production at their Four Elm Mills
plant near Braintree, Essex.
The founders of Baileys Horse Feeds are horse owners themselves who have
specialised in developing feeds with particular nutritional
characteristics. These are sought after for all types of horse,
particularly racehorses, polo ponies, show jumpers and stud horses, at
all stages of their development. The range has been shaped around the
use of the most effective natural ingredients that promote health and
performance.
Baileys also offer advice on feeding based on their in-depth
understanding of equine nutrition and operate a ‘Horse Owners Feed
Knowledge Awards’ scheme at two levels of proficiency.
Steam at the plant is used on the mixed feed during the conditioning
process before final pelletisation and packing. Conditioning at an
elevated temperature allows the gelatinisation of starch to begin and
this means that more nutrients can be digested. The steam also
lubricates the mix to maximise the throughput and extend the life of the
pelletiser die.
The Clayton Steam Generator was recommended to Baileys Horse Feeds by
Buckeye Nutrition of Ohio, USA with whom they have links. Buckeye
Nutrition are well known feed manufacturers and already use Clayton
Steam Generators.
The Clayton Steam Generator is a water tube boiler which operates on the
principle of forced circulation of water through a heated coil. Only a
small amount of water is contained in the steam generator which is
therefore small in size and can start-up and respond to changes in steam
demand very rapidly.
A feature of the design which is important for animal feed production is
the very high steam quality. This high quality is due to the use of a
vortex type steam separator which is part of the standard design. The
separator has no moving parts and removes water and any other small
particles by centrifugal action. This ensures typically less than 0.5%
moisture in the steam at all load conditions.
This high quality, dry steam is also of utmost importance for
consistency of the product from a pelletising process since it minimises
the condensate fall out in the conditioner and can also prevent slugs of
water in the process. The high quality steam also reduces the
possibility of impurities in the feed.
The Clayton Steam Generator is not only fully automatic it is also
inherently safe since there has never been a steam explosion with the
Clayton design. Consequently, at Baileys Horse Feeds the unit operates
automatically, 24 hours a day with minimal operator attendance.
The new steam generator is part of recent expansion and improvements at
the plant which includes computer controlled mixing, additional
micronising technology and new storage facilities. Joe Venner who is
Operations Director said:-
“We have always used the best available technology so that we can
reliably maintain the best quality and consistency of our feeds”
The company’s famous racehorse, ‘Mister Baileys’, was fed on Baileys No 10 Racehorse Mix when he won the 2000 Guineas in 1994 - Proving that nothing succeeds like success.
Copyright © 2007