Performance of feed rolls on heavy duty shredders

The modern heavy duty shredder forms an integral part of the extraction train. Its main objective is to rupture as many of the cells in the fibro-vascular bundles as possible thereby enabling the sugar rich juice to be more easily released during the extraction process. However, the shredder also interacts with adjacent plant in terms of extraction train control. The often of feeder rolls to shredders is likely to have a strong influence in this area. Another consequence of feeder rolls is that the billet cane held up above the feed rolls should reduce the noise leaving the shredder by this route. For the 1991 crushing season both Tully and Mulgrave mills installed Walkers heavy duty shredders with feeder rolls and vertical hoppers. This paper describes the installations and measurements made during the 1991 season to assess the specific capacity of the feeder rolls.