Removing extraneous vegetable matter (EVM), dirt, and other lightweight materials, the #16 Air Cleaner system cleans product of debris to improve product quality and line efficiency. The redesigned air cleaner features a new fan, motor, screen, and chamber configuration to enhance sanitation and reduce maintenance while increasing air flow capacity and spreading air velocity more evenly across the product screen.
Ideal for both wet and dry products such as peas, green beans, corn, berries, and nuts, the air cleaner removes leaves, steams, husks, dirt, and more. Typically installed at receiving, this system separates EVM and debris early on the production line to improve line efficiency and reduce energy waste.
Key’s air cleaner uses positive air flow, which moves through the product as it falls above a diagonal screen, to push light debris up and into a collection hood.
The new system has only one moving part, the motor, to reduce maintenance and operating costs.
Sanitation has been improved with the elimination of baffling, larger access doors for easy cleaning, and sloped surfaces to help prevent product and moisture build-up. A new hinge design, with a single lamination, replaces piano hinges that had many holes and laminations. A new screen design, with perforations integrated into the side panels, replaces spot-welded screens. The new fixed twist lock cam latches replace the previous model’s rubber draw latches and wing nuts.
To maximize system performance, Key mounts and integrates each air cleaner with either their dewatering shaker for wet products or their transfer shaker for dry products.
Compared to the previous model, the air cleaner offers up to 538 m³/min (19,000 CFM) depending on the application. Additionally, the new air cleaner achieves more even distribution of air velocity across the product screen to reliably remove more debris. This stronger, more even air velocity is produced by a smaller fan that operates with the same 20 horsepower as the previous model to more efficiently meet processors’ product quality standards.
