Application
Dense Phase Conveying in Pet Food Plants
Answer in brief
Dense phase is used in pet food to move finished kibble without turning it into fines.
Low velocity keeps the pieces intact, but fat coating smears along the pipe wall and changes the line over weeks.
- Set velocity from the breakage test, not from the rate.
- Plan for cleaning the line, because fat builds up.
- Compare honestly against belt conveying.
Reviewed October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026
The problem
Coated kibble breaks at high velocity and leaves a fat film at low velocity, so neither extreme is comfortable.
Desired outcome
A line that delivers the rate with acceptable breakage and can be cleaned before the build-up changes its behavior.
Process approach
Dense phase systems move kibble as a slow bed, with the velocity set from a breakage trial on the actual product.
Line cleaning access and inspection points are specified from the start, because fat deposits are not removed by running the line.
For short routes a belt or bucket arrangement is usually gentler and cheaper, so the comparison belongs in the decision.
- Breakage trial to set the design velocity.
- Cleaning access and inspection points in the route.
- Honest comparison with mechanical conveying.
Selection factors
- Breakage limit in the finished bag.
- Fat content and the resulting cleaning interval.
- Route length and geometry.
- Available air pressure and volume.
- Dust explosion characteristics of the fines.
Common failure modes
- Velocity set by rate, producing fines in the bag
- Fat film changing the line resistance over weeks
- No cleaning access in a line that needs regular cleaning
- Pneumatic transfer chosen where a belt would have been gentler
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