Butter-making method
AssigneeGEA Mechanical Equipment GmbH
InventorsSiegfried Klapper, Carsten Bräutigam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for producing butter in a buttermaking machine involves using a rotatable beater, in the buttermaking cylinder, to form butter grain and buttermilk with cream supplied to the cylinder. In the drum for the post-buttermaking process, a post-buttermaking process is performed, during which a butter grain size is adjusted. The butter grain is kneaded in the first press, which includes a hollow base body containing one or two screw conveyors, the speed of which can be regulated by a speed-regulated drive, and in addition, the basic water content of the butter is reduced and in the first mixing section, the cross-section of at least one outlet of a throttle device is modified, one or both of the steps and being carried out in an electronically self-regulating manner.
Claims17
A method for producing butter in a butter-making machine, the butter-making machine comprising an inlet, a butter-making cylinder with a rotatable beater, a butter-refining drum and a first extraction press, and a first mixing section arranged downstream thereof, the method comprising:
- a) forming, by the rotatable beater in the butter-making cylinder, butter grains and butter milk from cream supplied to the butter-making cylinder;
- b) performing, in the butter-refining drum, a butter-refining process in which a butter grain size is adjusted;
- c) kneading the butter grains in the first extraction press, which comprises a hollow body containing one or two screw conveyors having a speed that is regulated by an adjustable-speed drive, wherein a basic water content of the butter is also reduced;
- d) varying, in the first mixing section, a cross-section of an outlet opening of a restrictor,
- wherein the speed of the adjustable-speed drive and a size of the cross-section of the outlet opening of the restrictor are controlled in an electronically self-regulating manner,
- wherein step c) further comprises
- determining a pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter;
- determining a filling level in the first extraction press;
- and
- using the determined pressure and determined filling level as reference variables of the electronic self-regulation,
- wherein the first extraction press comprises a filling level sensor positioned on the first extraction press so that the filling level sensor can sense a filling level in the first extraction press, the filling level is equivalent to a complete filling of the first extraction press with the butter grains or butter.
A method for producing butter in a butter-making machine, the butter-making machine comprising an inlet, a butter-making cylinder with a rotatable beater, a butter-refining drum and a first extraction press, and a first mixing section arranged downstream thereof, the method comprising:
- starting the butter-making machine and maintaining a restrictor at a downstream end of the first mixing section in a closed position;
- feeding butter grains into the first extraction press, which kneads the butter grains, and feeding the kneaded butter grains into the first mixing section;
- determining, using a filling level sensor arranged between an inlet shaft of the first extraction press and a first screw channel of the inlet shaft of the first extraction press, that a filling level of the first extraction press corresponds to a complete filling of the first extraction press;
- performing a self-learning feedback control process responsive to the determination that the filling level of the first extraction press corresponds to the complete filling of the first extraction press, wherein the self-learning feedback control process comprises
- determining, by a pressure sensor, a pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter when the first extraction press corresponds to the complete filling of the first extraction press;
- and
- determining an operating point for a drive of a screw conveyer of the first extraction press as a function of flow rate butter grains in the first extraction press so that the filling level of the first extraction press corresponds to the complete filling of the first extraction press;
- operating the butter-making machine using the determined pressure and determined operating point by
- determining, using the filling level sensor, a current filling level of the first extraction press;
- determining, using the pressure sensor, a current pressure in the first extraction press exerted by the butter grains or the butter;
- adjusting, based on the determined current filling level, a speed of the drive of the screw conveyor using the determined operating point;
- and
- controlling, based on the determined current pressure, a size of an opening of the restrictor to achieve the determined pressure in the first extraction press.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.