This
flume allows the continuous receiving of tomatoes,
which are unloaded in bulk together with water, from
trucks or bins.
During unloading, foreign bodies deriving from mechanical
harvest, such as stones or soil, enter the flume; soil,
becoming mud in contact with water, deposits on the bottom
of the flume, while soil clods, small fragments, but
in particular stones of various dimensions deposit on
the sliding platform.
This system, known as "redler", designed and
built in 1998 is made up of a sliding single conveyor,
completely in stainless steel, which is positioned on
the bottom of the flume and which allows the quick and
continuous removal of foreign bodies.
During the return stage, the scraping elements applied
to the sliding single conveyor allow the removal of mud from
the flume bottom and its transportation outside by means
of a timed valve.
A continuous water-jet separator prevents the accidental
rise of possible tomato fragments on the bent part of
the "redler" sliding platform, and in this
way, even stones are washed.
Tomatoes unloaded together with water in the part opposite
to the "redler" move forward thanks to the
water flow and to the bubbling created by suitable electric
blowers. |
