Automated Bin Bypass

Bin Bypass, sometimes called Direct Run, is a technique used to minimize fruit damage and yield loss that is associated with temporary storage of fruit in bins. Instead, fruit is delivered directly from the truck to the extraction process.

The difficulty of this project lies not in avoiding the bins; that is merely the physical arrangement of conveyor. The difficulty is satisfying regulatory requirements for sampling and segregation of each load until certified by state inspectors. That segregation must occur in a rapid rotation of several tanks, instead of a large number of bins. One tank must be filling, while another is being consumed, and both rotations must remain synchronized.

While bin bypass is not new to our industry, this was the first time the tank rotation process was automated, providing integration from the source (truck) to the destination (T.A.S.T.E. evaporators). This eliminated one operator, as well as the typical downtime associated with inefficient rotation. It assured evaporator recirculation always returned to the correct tank. It also added product safety features, like protection from loss of flow at the evaporators.

Presentation

Because of the innovative nature of this project, I was invited to present it to a conference held by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). This annual conference, often called the 'Citrus Short Course' reaches several hundred citrus industry leaders.

I developed a multi-media presentation that included photographs, animation and cartoon character sound-bites. In the conference evaluation, this presentation was rated as the overwhelming best of the conference.

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	Bin Bypass, sometimes called Direct Run, is a technique used to minimize fruit damage and yield loss that is associated with temporary storage of fruit in bins. Instead, fruit is delivered directly from the truck to the extraction process. The difficulty of this project lies not in avoiding the bins; that is merely the physical arrangement of conveyor. The difficulty is satisfying regulatory requirements for sampling and segregation of each load until certified by state inspectors. That segregation must occur in a rapid rotation of several tanks, instead of a large number of bins. One tank must be filling, while another is being consumed, and both rotations must remain synchronized. While bin bypass is not new to our industry, this was the first time the tank rotation process was automated, providing integration from the source (truck) to the destination (T.A.S.T.E. evaporators). This eliminated one operator, as well as the typical downtime associated with inefficient rotation. It assured evaporator recirculation always returned to the correct tank. It also added product safety features, like protection from loss of flow at the evaporators. Presentation Because of the innovative nature of this project, I was invited to present it to a conference held by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). This annual conference, often called the 'Citrus Short Course' reaches several hundred citrus industry leaders. I developed a multi-media presentation that included photographs, animation and cartoon character sound-bites. In the conference evaluation, this presentation was rated as the overwhelming best of the conference. Home t Feedback