A blog for the potato processing community: The Solution to High Incoming Defects

Please refer to my posts of July 3 and 19 to get acquainted with some background on this subject.

ADR-first is the conceptual rearrangement of the potato strip processing line area downstream of the cutters. After sliver removal, all the product flows across one or more ADR for defect removal. Downstream of the ADRs (and nubbin graders), optical sorters can be placed to separate any defective pieces the ADRs might miss.

The principal benefit of this system is in defect removal. The ADR (with nubbin grader) removes about 80% of the incoming defects, but unlike the sorter-first arrangement, those defects are GONE from the system. Of the remaining defects in the line (20% of the incoming defects), the sorter removes about 80% (16% of incoming as the flow chart below shows). When those defects run through the ADR a second time, it removes about 70%, for an overall removal rate of about 93%. Compared to the status quo line that provides only 64%

Keep in mind that this system (with performance shown above) is tuned to its highest efficient defect removal settings. And that those settings are not needed that high for most processors for much of the processing season. The beauty of this normal performance “headroom” (the difference between what is needed at the moment vs. maximum capability) is that it provides adjustability. So one can pass some minor defects intentionally most of the time and stay in grade. And those specific minors selected to be passed can affect yield quite positively compared to the sorter-first arrangement.

The system can also control length, as I described in my July 19 post. This will help yield and quality both directly (where length specs must be met) and indirectly (reduction in bag seal failures, segregation, etc.).

Note also that, with this line configuration properly sized, it is practically impossible to exceed rated capacity on either the sorters or ADRs. One of the huge limitations of the sorter-first line is eliminated!

But the strongest driver to move to this configuration is in regions where raw product quality is not well controlled, where much money can be made if poor quality potatoes can be made into high quality product. Where incoming defect levels can exceed 20%, 30% or even 40%. You simply cannot cost-effectively control quality for that incoming condition with sorter-first configurations.

And even in areas where potato quality is good, processors are more and more asking for "zero defect product". This system will provide product quality very near to zero defect, at good yields. Look at the numbers: Sorter-first leaves 36% of the incoming defect in the product (100%-64%). ADR-First leaves 7% (100%-93%). That is more than an 80% reduction (100%-7%/36%) in remaining defects, compared to the current industry standard!

Keep in mind that the ADR, unlike the sorter, can tolerate and run efficiently with VERY high defect loads. Historically, ADRs have been received the reject stream of product from sorters, which often exceeds 80% defect. And it controls quality at those levels quite well. Most processors would consider incoming raw product that is 80% defects as good only for animal feed. You can set up your line to turn it into sellable product economically.

More soon-

Tim