Grain bulk densifying die apparatus and method

Abstract

An apparatus and method for processing grain material to generate a consistently high densified grain with a desired length, shape and size. The densified grain processing apparatus comprises a die assembly, a cooling assembly and a break-off assembly. The method includes receiving the grain material by the die assembly and forcing the grain material through an extrusion passageway that evenly distributes the grain material into a plurality of orifices thereby producing a high density shaped grain before the grain material exits the die assembly. A coolant is pumped to a coolant passage by means of an at least one pump and cools the shaped grain by passing the shaped grain through at least one of the cooling tube inside a cooling chamber. The break-off assembly then breaks off a predetermined length of the shaped grain.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An animal feed product consisting essentially of grain material that has been extruded through a die, the animal feed product comprising:
 a high density product having a final densified structure that is at least approximately thrice the density of grain material in raw loose form;   at least one of entrapped air and entrapped moisture is removed from the high density product without the addition of binders or fillers; and   the final densified structure comprising a substantially fine free structure.   
     
     
         2 . The product of  claim 2 , wherein the animal feed product having the substantially fine free structure is sufficient to withstand transport of the animal feed product without crumbling, splitting, or breaking the animal feed product during the transport. 
     
     
         3 . An animal feed product produced by the process, comprising:
 densifying grain material into a high density grain material by extruding the grain material through a die under pressure, wherein the die comprises a die head including a relief surface provided therein;   preventing the pressure applied to the grain material in the die from being transferred downstream of the relief surface so as to maintain the pressure upstream of the die head, wherein upstream and downstream being defined by a direction of travel of the grain material being extruded; and   removing heat from the high density grain material to produce a final product comprising:
 a high density product having a final densified structure that is at least approximately thrice the density of the grain material in raw loose form; 
 at least one of entrapped air and entrapped moisture is removed from the high density product without the addition of binders or fillers; and 
 the final densified structure comprising a substantially fine free structure. 
   
     
     
         4 . The product produced by the process of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 receiving the grain material at the die head from a bulk densification process;   passing the grain material through a plurality of orifices in the die head for directing the grain material received therein out of the die forming the grain material into a shaped grain material having a predetermined density before the grain material exits the die head;   passing the shaped grain material from the die after formation of the shape to a cooling assembly for cooling the shaped grain material; and   breaking off, by a break-off assembly, a preselected length of the shaped grain material exiting from the cooling apparatus.   
     
     
         5 . The product produced by the process of  claim 4 , wherein passing the grain material through a plurality of orifices in the die head further comprising:
 passing the grain material under force through an extrusion passageway that evenly distributes the grain material into each of the plurality of orifices thereby producing the high density grain material.   
     
     
         6 . The product produced by the process of  claim 5 , wherein each orifice extends out through the die head such that each orifice defines a plurality of die passageways within the die head for the grain material to pass there through. 
     
     
         7 . The product produced by the process of  claim 5 , wherein a substantially triangular nose cone member nose cone is enclosed by the die head and the substantially triangular nose cone is configured as a flow-direction mechanism to provide the extrusion passageway for the grain material. 
     
     
         8 . The product produced by the process of  claim 5 , wherein the extrusion passageway includes an orifice, a plurality of funnel-shaped structures, a die tubing, and the relief surface. 
     
     
         9 . The product produced by the process of  claim 6 , wherein each die passageway comprises:
 an inlet surface that tapers downwardly;   a plurality of funnel-shaped structures extending from the inlet surface, each funnel-shaped structure having a wide inlet and inwardly sloping sides extending downwardly;   a constricted passage extending from the inwardly sloping sides of each funnel-shaped structure, the constricted passage having a constricted diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the final product, wherein the constricted passage is configured having a linear length sufficient to enable the grain material to stabilize to the constricted diameter as the grain material travels therein; and   a relief section downstream of the constricted passage, wherein the relief section having an enlarged diameter that defines the diameter of the final product, and the relief section extends to an outlet of the die head.   
     
     
         10 . The product produced by the process of  claim 9 , wherein the cooling assembly comprises:
 a cooling chamber having a first end, a second end, a first coolant opening, a second coolant opening and a coolant passage that extends from the first end to the second end, the first and the second coolant openings configured to receive at least one coolant to the coolant passage, the cooling chamber comprising:
 a first plate member positioned at the first end, the first plate member being mounted to the die head with at least one fastening mechanism; 
 a second plate member having a plurality of exit ports positioned at the second end; 
   at least one cooling tube having an inlet end for receiving the shaped grain material and an outlet end, the at least one cooling tube being horizontally placed inside the cooling chamber, and the inlet end of the at least one cooling tube is connected to at least one of the plurality of the die passageways of the die head, the outlet end of the at least one cooling tube is connected to at least one of the plurality of the exit ports of the second plate member of the cooling chamber, the cooling chamber cools the shaped grain material by passing the shaped grain material through the at least one cooling tube.   
     
     
         11 . The product produced by the process of  claim 10 , wherein the break-off assembly comprises:
 at least one stud member attached to the second plate member at the second end of the cooling chamber; and   at least one cone breaker being threaded to the at least one stud member.   
     
     
         12 . The product produced by the process of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one cone breaker includes a conical funnel shape. 
     
     
         13 . The product produced by the process of  claim 3 , wherein the relief surface includes an enlarged diameter having an area of increased size to define a final diameter of the final product, and the relief surface extends to an outlet of the die head. 
     
     
         14 . The product produced by the process of  claim 8 , wherein the relief surface includes an enlarged diameter having an area of increased size to define a final diameter of the final product, and the relief surface extends to an outlet of the die head. 
     
     
         15 . The product produced by the process of  claim 14 , wherein the area of increased size increases from a diameter of the die tubing to a diameter of the relief surface by approximately 25%. 
     
     
         16 . The product produced by the process of  claim 8 , wherein the relief surface is located in the die at a transition area where a smallest area of the extrusion passageway increases to a larger area that defines a final size of the final product. 
     
     
         17 . The product produced by the process of  claim 9 , wherein the relief surface is located in the die at a transition area where a smallest area of each die passageway increases to a larger area that defines a final size of the final product. 
     
     
         18 . The product produced by the process of  claim 4 , wherein a final shape of the final product is formed during the step of passing the grain material through the plurality of orifices in the die and no additional steps are required for forming the shape of the final product. 
     
     
         19 . The product produced by the process of  claim 4 , wherein a final shape of the final product is formed during the step of passing the grain material through the plurality of orifices in the die and no additional steps of applying additional pressure and no additional additives are required for forming the shape of the final product. 
     
     
         20 . The product produced by the process of  claim 3 , wherein the final product having the substantially fine free structure is sufficient to withstand transport of the final product without crumbling, splitting, or breaking the final product during the transport.