Equipment Introduction
The chain plate compost turner (also known as a chain plate turner or chain plate compost turner) is a large-scale, fixed compost turning device specifically designed for deep aerobic fermentation in trough-type environments. The entire machine spans the fermentation trough and moves back and forth along tracks on both sides of the trough via wheels. It is equipped with a high-power motor drive system, a hydraulic lifting system, and a chain plate turning system. The turning width can reach 3–5 meters, the turning depth can reach 1.5–2 meters, and the processing capacity is 150–500 cubic meters per hour. It is a core fermentation equipment in large and medium-sized organic fertilizer production lines. Its core function is to deeply turn, oxygenate, crush, and mix the materials in the trough during the organic material fermentation process, achieving efficient aerobic fermentation.
The chain plate compost turner is one of the main supporting equipment in fertilizer machinery units, suitable for trough-type fermentation, and is a core piece of equipment for the industrial-scale harmless treatment of livestock farming, municipal waste, and municipal sewage sludge. This machine features a reasonable design, high efficiency, low energy consumption, high degree of automation, ease of use, low cost, and wide application. It can turn the compost to a depth of 1.5–2 meters and is a highly efficient machine that is well received by users.
Equipment Structure and Composition
The chain plate compost turner consists of six core systems:
1. Turning Power Transmission Device
Comprising a motor, reducer, sprockets, bearing seats, and main shaft, this is the crucial device providing power to the turning chain plates.
2. Traveling Device
Comprising a traveling motor, reducer, drive shaft, traveling wheels, and bearings, this device utilizes frequency conversion speed regulation for smooth operation.
3. Hydraulic Lifting Device
Comprising a hydraulic pump station, solenoid valve body, hydraulic oil pipes, hydraulic cylinder column, and shaft seats, this device controls the lifting and lowering of the chain plate working components, ensuring flexible, safe, and efficient operation.
4. Turning Device
Comprising a supporting beam frame, motor, reducer, main shaft, driven shaft, sprockets, chain, and turning chain plates. The turning pallets are equipped with replaceable wear-resistant curved toothed blades, providing strong crushing capacity and excellent oxygenation of the material pile. The turning pallets are equipped with a flexible tensioning and elastic damping system to protect the transmission system and working components, ensuring efficient operation.
5. Transfer Vehicle (Transfer Machine)
Composed of a walking motor, transmission gears, drive shaft, and wheels, it provides a temporary transport tool for the turning machine when changing troughs.
6. Electrical Control System
Utilizes a PLC control cabinet for centralized control, enabling manual or automatic control functions. It can also remotely control the machine's forward movement, lateral movement, turning, and rapid reversal, improving the operating environment.
Applications of the Equipment
The chain plate turning machine is suitable for aerobic fermentation processes and can be used in conjunction with solar fermentation chambers, fermentation tanks, and transfer machines. When used with a transfer machine, it can achieve multi-tank functionality, allowing for both continuous and batch discharge from the fermentation tanks.
1. Applicable Material Types:
Livestock and poultry manure (chicken manure, cow manure, pig manure, sheep manure, etc.); sludge and garbage, municipal sewage sludge; sugar mill filter mud; residue and cake;Straw and sawdust; distiller's grains, medicinal residue, biogas residue, cassava residue, furfural residue, humic acid, fruit peels, and garden waste, etc.
2. Applicable Industries and Locations:
Organic fertilizer plants, compound fertilizer plants; sludge and garbage treatment plants; horticultural farms, button mushroom farms; large-scale livestock farms;Solid waste treatment centers
Raw Material Requirements for the Equipment
The chain plate turning machine can handle a wide range of raw materials, mainly including:
Raw Material Category
Specific Raw Materials
Pretreatment Requirements
Livestock and Poultry Manure
Pig manure, Chicken manure, Cow manure, Sheep manure, Duck manure
Moisture content 50%-65%, required to be mixed with auxiliary materials
Crop Straw
Corn straw, Wheat straw, Rice straw, Bean straw
Required to be pulverized to ≤10cm
Agricultural By-products
Rice husk, Peanut shell, Cottonseed hull, Mushroom residue, Sugar residue and meal cake
Used as auxiliary materials to adjust C/N ratio
Sludge
Municipal sludge, Sugar factory filter mud, Papermaking sludge
Required to be mixed with dry materials to adjust moisture content
Domestic Organic Waste
Kitchen waste, Fruit peels, Vegetable leaves
Required to be sorted to remove non-degradable substances
Others
Biogas residue, Wine lees, Chinese medicine residue, Sawdust
Proportioned according to material characteristics
Raw Material Proportioning Requirements:
1. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) adjusted to approximately 25:1
2. Moisture content controlled at 50%–65%
3. pH value controlled at 6–9
4. Materials pre-piled in the fermentation tank, with the pile height not exceeding the turning depth.
Working Principle of the Equipment
The chain plate compost turner adopts a combined process of "heavy-duty chain plate turning + walking conveyor":
1. Basic Working Process
The electric motor directly transmits power to the reducer, driving the main shaft. The main shaft drives the chain, and the turning chain plates mounted on the chain move in a cyclic motion under the drive of the main shaft. The equipment moves at a constant speed along the tracks laid on both sides of the fermentation tank. The wear-resistant shovels on the chain plates penetrate deep into the material layer (up to 0.8-1.5 meters).
2. Turning and Oxygen Supply Process
The chain plates transport the material at the bottom of the tank to a higher position and scatter it down, moving the material 3-4 meters backward. The chain plates have staggered manganese steel blades that can crush clumps of material. During turning, the material stays on the pallet for a long time, is scattered at a high level, and has a large contact area with air, making it easier to reduce moisture.
3. No Additional Aeration System Required
The chain plate compost turner does not require a high-pressure forced oxygen supply aeration system. Oxygen is evenly supplied to the material during the turning process, resulting in strong oxygen penetration into the material layer and uniform aerobic fermentation. The material has ample contact with oxygen in the air during the conveying and descent process, resulting in better fermentation.
4. Deep Turning Effect: Turning operations can be performed at any position within the tank through lateral and longitudinal displacement, offering great flexibility. The lifting and lowering of the turning components are controlled by a hydraulic system, allowing for a turning depth of 1.8-2.0 meters. The vertical lifting height of the material can reach 2 meters, resulting in a long residence time in the air and eliminating the need for aeration.
Equipment Maintenance Methods
1. Pre-shift Maintenance and Handover System
Adhere to the pre-shift maintenance and handover system; maintenance and troubleshooting from the previous shift should not be carried over to the next shift.
2. Pre-shift Inspection
Check that all fasteners are secure and that the bearing clearances of transmission components are appropriate.
Add grease to the bearing housings and check the reducer oil level.
Check that electrical connections are secure.
3. Post-shift Maintenance
Clean up any residue and leftover material from the machine and surrounding area.
Add lubricating oil to all lubrication points.
Disconnect the power switch.
4. Weekly Maintenance Items
Check the reducer oil level and add sufficient gear oil.
Clear any accumulated material from the feed inlet and ensure the feed chute is unobstructed.
Check the contactors in the electrical control cabinet; replace any damaged ones immediately.
5. Periodic Inspection Items
Check the operation of the motor and reducer; stop the machine immediately if there are any abnormal noises or overheating.
Check the wear of each bearing; replace any excessively worn bearings.
6. Lubrication and Maintenance
After installation and power-on, add 3 kg of grease to the bearing housing.
After 72 hours of operation, replenish the grease to the bearing housing.
Due to the dusty working environment of the chain plate compost turner, select a grease with strong adhesion and anti-pollution properties (such as lithium-based grease) and regularly lubricate the moving parts such as the chain pins and rollers.
7. Reducer Oil Change
The reducer of this compost turner uses hypoid gear oil, and the cycloidal pinwheel reducer uses No. 50 machine oil. The oil grade can be changed according to the specific environment. After the first 200 hours of continuous operation following the initial startup, change the oil in all reducers. After the second startup, change the oil every six months.
Common Equipment Problems and Solutions
| Fault Category | Fault Phenomenon | Possible Causes | Standard Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turning System Fault | Difficult Compost Turning | 1. Excessively thick material layer 2. Severe deformation of chain plates & shafts, or winding foreign objects 3. Foreign objects stuck on drive gears or gear damage |
1. Remove redundant compost layers 2. Repair deformed chain plates/shafts and clear tangled foreign substances 3. Clear jammed foreign bodies or replace damaged drive gears |
| Uneven Turning Effect | Improper chain plate rotating speed; mismatched traveling speed; worn chain plates | Adjust chain plate rotation speed and traveling speed to matching state; replace severely worn chain plates | |
| Chain Plate Scrapes Ground | Too low ground clearance setting for chain plates; uneven ground surface | Lift the compost turner timely; inspect and level the ground surface | |
| Materials Wound Around Chain Plates | Overlong raw materials; excessive weeds mixed in compost | Screen and cut long materials before turning; clean weeds on operation site | |
| Insufficient Turning Distance | Insufficient chain plate tension; severely worn cutting blades | Adjust chain plate tension; replace worn cutting blades as a full set | |
| Traveling System Fault | Unstable Traveling | Foreign objects stuck on traveling wheels or tracks; bent transmission shaft | Clear foreign substances inside traveling wheels and tracks; calibrate or replace bent transmission shafts |
| Reducer Generates Loud Noise or Overheats | Insufficient lubricating oil; worn bearings; jammed foreign bodies | Refill lubricating oil; inspect bearing wear and replace damaged bearings | |
| Track Wear | Long-term continuous operation; uneven track installation foundation | Polish and repair tracks regularly; re-level track mounting base | |
| Electrical System Fault | Motor Hard to Start or Fails to Start with Buzzing Sound | 1. Excessively worn or damaged bearings 2. Deformed & bent reduction shaft 3. Excessively low or high supply voltage |
1. Replace damaged bearings 2. Calibrate or replace deformed reduction shafts 3. Restart equipment after voltage returns to normal range |
| Failure of Electronic Control System | Damaged contactor; short-circuited wiring; faulty limit switch | Replace damaged contactors; inspect and repair circuit wiring; replace defective limit switches | |
| Soft Starter Malfunction | Improper parameter configuration; overloaded equipment load | Reset soft starter parameters; inspect and reduce excessive operating load of the machine | |
| Hydraulic System Fault | Unresponsive Lifting & Lowering of Chain Plates | Insufficient hydraulic oil; faulty electromagnetic valve; aging hydraulic cylinder sealing parts | Refill hydraulic oil; inspect and repair electromagnetic valves; replace aged hydraulic cylinder seals |
| Loud Noise from Hydraulic Pump Station | Clogged oil suction filter screen; worn hydraulic oil pump; air mixed into hydraulic pipelines | Clean blocked oil suction filter; inspect or replace worn oil pumps; exhaust trapped air inside hydraulic pipelines | |
| Slow Lifting & Lowering Speed | Deteriorated hydraulic oil; internal leakage inside hydraulic cylinder | Replace deteriorated hydraulic oil; inspect and repair internal sealing structure of hydraulic cylinders | |
| Automatic Descending After Full Lifting | Worn piston sealing ring inside hydraulic cylinder | Replace worn piston sealing rings of hydraulic cylinders | |
| Comprehensive Preventive Maintenance Solutions | High Long-term Failure Rate & Frequent Damage of Vulnerable Parts | No monitoring for vulnerable components; excessive debris on operation site; poor pretreatment of compost raw materials; missing fault record archives | 1. Key Component Monitoring: Mark vulnerable parts including turning chain plates, chains and bearings as key monitoring objects, establish replacement record logs 2. Site & Environment Management: Keep operation site clean, remove hard foreign bodies like stones and metals; optimize raw material pretreatment and control moisture content 3. Intelligent Technical Upgrade: Install real-time sensors to monitor temperature, vibration and other parameters to realize early fault warning 4. Build Complete Fault Archives: Record occurrence time, root causes and handling methods of every fault, analyze root sources of common failures |
As a core piece of equipment in the fermentation section of medium-to-large-scale organic fertilizer production lines, the chain plate compost turner has become one of the preferred fermentation equipment for organic fertilizer plants, compound fertilizer plants, sludge and waste treatment plants, and button mushroom cultivation plants due to its technological advantages such as deep-trough operation, low resistance during back-throwing, uniform material mixing, sufficient oxygen supply from high-level spreading, and strong crushing capacity. Its ground-trough aerobic fermentation technology can convert organic raw materials such as livestock and poultry manure and agricultural waste into high-quality organic fertilizer within 15-25 days, achieving the dual goals of resource utilization and environmental protection.
The chain plate compost turner adopts a chain-driven and rolling support chain plate mechanism, resulting in low resistance during back-throwing, energy saving, and suitability for deep-trough operation. During back-throwing, the material stays on the pallet for a long time, is spread at a high level, and has sufficient contact with air, making it easy to reduce moisture. The chain plate has staggered manganese steel blades that can crush clumps of material. This equipment does not require high-pressure aeration equipment; it provides oxygen to the material evenly and without dead zones during the turning process, ensuring strong aeration penetration into the material layer and uniform aerobic fermentation.
During the selection and use of this machine, users should choose the appropriate model based on the actual fermentation tank size, raw material quantity, site conditions, and budget. They must strictly adhere to operating procedures and maintenance requirements to ensure safe, efficient, and long-term stable operation of the equipment. This machine features a reasonable design, high efficiency, low energy consumption, high degree of automation, ease of use, low cost, and wide application, making it a highly efficient model that is well-received by users.
Whether you need a fermentation compost turning machine or plan an entire fertilizer production line—from fermentation turning and crushing to granulation, drying, cooling, screening, and packaging—we can provide you with a one-stop solution.
