BREVET MADYA 2B

FFB RECEPTION

The Fruit Reception Station

1.0 Introduction
The FFB reception station is the first station encountered in the palm
oil mill. Equipment utilised in this station includes the weighbridge,
the loading ramps, fruit cages, Bobcat skid loader, capstans, railway
lines and transfer carraiges. Proper supervision and operation of the
weighbridge is very important because incoming FFB and outgoing palm
products must be accurately weighed and properly recorded for payment,
invoicing and control purposes. In general, the reception station
should be designed to suit the method of FFB delivery to the mill.
While it is true that the quality of FFB being sent to the mill will
largely determine the quality of crude palm oil produced, it is also
true that improper operation of the reception station will contribute
further to the deterioration of oil quality. This occurs when the FFB
is not processed according to the first in first out system and through
poor and inefficient handling of the FFB. Bruising of fruits at the
loading ramp should be minimised to reduce rise in FFA.

2.0 Functions of the Reception Station

The functions of the reception station are:
 To receive and weigh in all the FFB
 To check and grade incoming FFB
 To store the FFB for processing
 To facilitate filling of the FFB into cages for processing
 To weigh out all palm products

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The objectives are summarised as in Table 1.

Table 1
Function Objectives

Reception of FFB Weighing in of FFB accurate and properly recorded

Ensure quick turn around of transport
Minimum spillage of fruits
Minimum handling of fruits
Quick, simple and effective charging of FFB into cages

Grading of FFB Proper grading,recording and reporting as in SOP

Storage of FFB Adequate storage capacity

Correct flow system
Minimum movement

Delivery of FFB for Correct flow system

Process Minimum movement
Ease of steriliser loading
FIFO

3.0 FFB Reception

The design of the FFB reception is usually directly related to the way
the FFB is delivered to the mill. Generally there are 2 systems of
transporting FFB to the mill and these may be broadly classified under
the heading of:
 Road transport
 Rail transport

3.1 Road Transport

In this system FFB is usually loaded by hands or by nets and cranes into
lorries or tractor-trailers to the mill. This is the most commonly used
system as it allows fast turnaround of vehicles, particularly lorries.
However, as this system also involves the greatest amount of fruit
handling both in the fields and in the mill, a greater amount of fruit
damage or bruising of fruits will occur resulting in a greater rise of
FFA in the oil.

3.2 Rail Transport

In the rail system of transport one can either use steriliser cages for
haulage of fruit or by means of tipper trucks. With steriliser cages,

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the FFB is handled once only. This system thus ensures that there is
minimal rise in FFA during the transportation phase. In the tipper
truck, the fruit has to be tipped into cages in the mill and although
there is only an extra handling the difference in FFA rise between the
two system is in the mean region of 0.3% to 0.5%. The advantage of rail
transport system is that it is very economical to operate. The capital
cost, however is another matter. However, this system is possible only
where the mill is located close to the estate and the terrain should be
flat. However, the resulting improvement in oil quality coupled with
savings on a long term basis in operating costs will make this system
viable if the above other two considerations are in its favour.

4.0 Reception Facilities

The reception facility at the mill depends on the type of transportation
system employed. The steriliser cages, which are hauled to the mill
either by rails or tractor-trailers, are transferred to special
steriliser bogies by overhead crane or forklift and the empty cages put
back on the field bogies by the same crane. In some cases, separate
overhead gantry is designed to cater for cages arriving by tractor-
trailer although the current trend is towards the utilisation of a
forklift. Usually a storage yard is allocated for the storage of these
cage FFB and with a proper layout this system should enable the mill to
achieve the required turn around of cages with minimum handling. The
tipper truck system is similar to that for the steriliser cages except
that the fruit from the tippers have to be off-loaded into steriliser
cages. To do this, one can either use the pit system or a ramp system.
In the pit system the fruit is tipped into cages inside one or two pits
while in the ramp system the trucks are hauled up a ramp where they are
then tipped into waiting cages. Both the pit and ramp systems will
result in fruit spillage and if these are not supervised properly in
unduly large amount of bunch and fruit damage will result.

In mills where lorries unload the FFB directly into steriliser cages the
time taken to off load one lorry will be too long apart from the great
amount of spillage that will result with this system. Mills that
receive bulk lorry fruit will usually have off loading ramps of some
sorts and these result in an additional handling of the FFB i.e. from
the lorries once into the ramp and from the ramp into the cages. Once

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they are full the cages are either pulled into a storage yard or if the
ramp area provides sufficient FFB storage capacity the cages are moved
directly into the mill for processing. If the reception facilities for
the bulk delivery of the fruit by lorries are not designed or operated
correctly then problems will arise and the objectives detailed in Table
1 may not be met. As most of our mills are equipped with loading ramps,
we shall concentrate a bit more on this.

4.1 Loading Ramps

The fruit loading ramp is of rugged steel construction. It consists of
a number of elevated fruit hoppers arranged in-line on one or two sides.
Each hopper should have a capacity of not less than 10 tons of fruits.
The inclined surfaces of the hoppers allow FFB to slide into steriliser
cages below when the hydraulically operated doors are opened. Fifty
percent of the inclined surface is constructed of tee bars arranged at
right angles to the movement of fruit down the hopper. Gaps of about 10
mm between the tee bars allow sand, small stones and some vegetative
matter to pass through to the area below the hoppers.

4.2 Railway System

An efficient railway system is essential for the smooth movement of
cages from the loading ramp to the sterilisers and the crane bay and
back to the loading ramp. Railway system that eliminates turn-outs and
diamond crossings is an improvement. Such a system usually incorporates
the use of transfer carraiges and straight rails. The usage of straight
rails reduces the problem of cage derailment and maintenance
significantly. This also results in the faster movement of cages and
thus helps in attaining the throughput. Rails are designed with sections
of between 12 to 15 kg/m with gauge of 700mm. Sleepers are usually
placed at intervals of less than 1 metre.

5.0 Supervision at Reception Station

To attain the objectives set out in Table 1, a combination of good
supervision and design is required. Discussion will centre on the
supervision required for bulk delivery of FFB through lorries or
tractor-trailers. This system of delivery requires extra handling of

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FFB and speed and co-ordination on the part of mill personnel to ensure
its proper operation.

5.1 Supervision of Reception of FFB

Bulk delivery by lorries has the fastest turn around and it is vital
that the rate of cage filling should as far as possible be complimentary
to the rate of bulk delivery to the mill. This is sometimes not
possible due to design factor and the period which lorries are expected
to arrive at the mill. It is therefore very important that supervisors
should know the holding capacities of the reception station and the
day’s anticipated FFB to be delivered to the mill. This will help you
to decide on how early you should commence processing as late mill
starting up time can cause queuing of lorries not to mention of possible
extra payment for overtime work.

The example below illustrates the statement.

Mill A is rated and achieves 40 tons FFB an hour and has a storage
capacity of 480 tons at the reception station. The day’s total FFB is
800 tons and these can be transported to the mill within 14 hours during
the period of 0800 to 2000. From your records you know that between the
hours 0800 to 1100 the rate of FFB delivery to the mill will be around
40 tons per hour. Between the hours of 1100 to 1700 the average rate of
delivery is 80 tons and tapering off until 2200. Allowing about 1-2
hours of contingency time for any minor machinery breakdown you should
therefore commence processing not later than 1000 to ensure that lorries
are not held up. Table 2 illustrates the mean hourly situation at the
reception.

Table 2

Time FFB Delivered FFB Processed FFB Stored

0700 0 0 0

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0800 0 0 0
0900 40 0 40
10000 80 0 80
1100 120 40 80
1200 200 80 120
1300 280 120 160
1400 360 160 200
1500 440 200 240
1600 520 240 280
1700 600 280 320
1800 670 320 350
1900 740 360 380
2000 800 400 400

Sometimes lorries do queue up and the causes may be of the following

nature:
1. Too many lorries being used for the transport of FFB and all turning
up at the same time.
2. Insufficient steriliser cages to unload the fruit from the ramp.
3. Insufficient speed of unloading due to slowdown in cage towing
mechanism or vehicles.
4. Too many manually off-loading lorries at the ramp at that time.
5. Cage derailment or the breakdown of ramp related mechanism e.g.
hopper doors, gearboxes, hydraulics or motors.

It is important that you should be able isolate the causes of any delay
of FFB flow and handling so that remedial steps may be recommended for
taken. Spillage of fruit cannot really be avoided when unloading FFB
from the lorries onto the ramp and from the ramp to the cages. However,
it is vital that sufficient labour and supervision is provided at the
ramp to ensure that spilled fruits are loaded back onto the ramp or
cages as soon as possible to prevent the spilled fruits from being run
over by lorries or tractors.

5.2 Supervision of Storage of FFB

No mill can function properly without a certain amount of storage
capacity. Storage will usually take the form of ramp area, steriliser

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cages or tipper trucks. The storage capacity, the method of FFB

delivery and the day’s total anticipated FFB decide what time the mill
should commence processing.

If the storage is only provided on the ramp this principle of “first in

first out” may not be adhered to. The reason for this will be that the
FFB from the ramp closest to the mill will tend to be off-loaded first
and if there is a long queue of lorries, these lorries will tend to be
off-loaded at this same point only and the reverse “last in first out”
will result. Once this event begins it is likely to carry on for the
rest of the period and “older” FFB is left on the ramp until the end of
all lorry deliveries. Due to the already great number of handlings of
FFB by the lorry and ramp method, previous studies had shown that a mean
FFA of 1.85% will result on FFB without detached fruit. There is also a
rise of about 0.97% of FFA if this fruit is left on the ramp for hours.
It is therefore important that supervisors recognise the deteriorating
effect on fruit quality if the principle of “first in first out” is not
adhered to.

In loading up cages sufficient check must be made to ensure that loaders

fill the cages up as much as the cage is designed to hold. If a cage is
designed to hold 3.5 tons and only 3 tons is loaded up you are losing 4
tons for every 8 cages loaded and this will have an overall effect in
your storage capacity as well as your mill throughput. Overfilling of
FFB cages, on the other hand, can result in fruits falling off the cages
onto the floor or in the sterilisers. This is also undesirable.

5.3 Supervision of delivery of FFB to process

From the FFB storage area to the sterilisers the rail system should be
ideally near and the travel a one way traffic i.e. the return empty
cages must take on a separate line.

If the storage area consists of several line of cages the greatest care
must be taken to ensure that the order of cage batches being sterilised
should again follow the order or “first stored first sterilised”
principle.

6.0 Maintenance

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Maintenance of the reception station is relatively simple and cheaper

when this is compared to other station machineries. In spite of this
there is often a lack of recognition on the importance of the
machineries and the layout of this station. It should be borne in mind
that if there is a general slowdown at the mill’s throughput, it will
result in a general slowdown in your other processes. The maintenance
of the various equipment that generally make up the reception are
discussed in the order below:
1. Weighbridge
2. Ramp
3. Steriliser cages
4. Rail system
5. Capstan

6.1 Weighbridge
The weighbridge is rarely serviced by the mill fitters and since this in
an accurate piece of equipment, it is normally serviced by skilled
technicians of the weighbridge agent.

However, the accuracy of the weighbridge can be adversely affected if

the pit of the weighbridge is flooded with water after rain and it is
vital that besides a planned programme to inspect the pit that
additional inspection is done after a heavy rain. In particular check
that the pit drainage is not choked up. Remove soil and crushed fruits
from the weighbridge and keep the platform always clean. Always ensure
that the UPS system is functioning and do not connect the indicator unit
direct to the mains. In the worst case, use an automatic voltage
regulator of sufficient size.

To ensure that weighbridge is not easily damaged all approach vehicle

must decelerate adequately before it sits on the weighbridge platform to
prevent undue oscillation of the weighing platform. One way to ensure
that this is achieved is the construction of a road hump on either side
of the bridge.

6.2 Loading Ramp

The loading ramp generally requires little attention besides the routine
inspection of doors, the related mechanism and the hydraulic system,

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which is quite hardy. It is very important to keep the ramp clean.

Spilled fruit, if allowed to be left around too long, can be very
corrosive on the ramp materials. Again as spilled fruit has an adversed
effect on oil quality there should be a regular shift programme to clean
up the ramp area as much as possible.

6.3 Fruit Cages

The maintenance of the fruit cages is by far the highest among the other
related equipment of the FFB reception station. If the cages are
pushed/pulled by locomotive the impact on cage shunting will be very
minimal. However, as the impact on cage shuntings using tractors will
be very much greater, it is in this aspect that greater amount of
supervision is required not only to prevent cage damage but also fruit
falling off the cages. Proper use of the cage is very vital and
engineers should recognise when cages should be withdrawn for repairs
before derailment and a slow down in the cage flow system results.

6.4 Rail System

The main problem area in the rail system usually lies in the switches
and when they fall, it will not be possible to achieve the cage
turnaround, which will directly reduce the target mill throughput.
Whilst derailment may result from faulty switches and rail line and it
is imperative that daily inspection of the rails should be carried out.
Worn cage wheels will tend to dig into the concrete of the rails. The
damaged concrete then traps water and loose fruits. The combination of
decaying loose fruits and water will corrode the rails rapidly and if
left unchecked will eventually result in the collapse of the rail web.
The discussion in this section applies mainly to rail system with bends
and shuntings.

6.5 Capstans
The capstan and rope system is usually very trouble-free besides the
routine replacement of the capstan ropes. Capstan ropes should be
rolled up after use at the end of the processing day.

7.0 Production Planning

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A palm oil mill is an industrial complex which extracts palm oil and
kernel from the raw material which is FFB. While many other processing
plants dealing with non-perishable raw materials can control the raw
material intake, a palm oil mill has little or no control over the FFB
intakes and its operation is dictated somewhat by the crops received
from the supplying estates. Three areas, which are relevant to
production planning are highlighted for discussion.

7.1 FFB Forecasts

If a mill must plan its operation time correctly and optimise its
manpower and resources at minimal cost it must require prior information
on the expected reception of crops from supplying estates. Ideally, the
mill must know the expected tonnage of FFB not only on the day of
processing but also for the next few days. With a known quantity of raw
material input (FFB) the mill could commence processing at the required
period without loss of time for the necessary pre-processing jobs of
machinery maintenance, process cleaning and labour optimisation.

7.2 Production Capacity

When a mill is rated at say 20 ton FFB/hour, does it imply that this
mill is also rated at 480 tons FFB/day? The obvious answer is No.
While a mill could probably sustain at most week’s run at 24 hrs/day it
cannot for economic reasons, be expected to perform on a continuous 24
hour day basis over a long period. If standby equipment is allowed for
in all the mill’s plants and machinery then it is a practical
expectation to size the mill on a 24 hour capacity basis. But since
standy equipment involve huge capital expenditure and utilisation would
be very low, such high capital expenditure would be very difficult to
justify.

For practical reasons, a mill is normally sized over a 20 hour run per
day or 500 hour run per month. This method of sizing allows a variation
of 10% in FFB actual against advised projection to avoid congestion and
unnecessary pressures on the mill.

7.3 Storage Capacity

Storage requirement is fundamentally necessitated by the inconsistency
of FFB flow to the mill where buffer stock of raw material is required

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to avoid disruption to the mill production. It is also often a

reflection of company’s policy. Storage of FFB can take the form of a
fruit ramp, cages, lorries, trailers, rail trucks or even a wide open
concreted ground and are considered differently by different plantation
groups.

What then is the average storage capacity of a mill? The answer varies
between mills and 2 cases are cited as examples to illustrate the
capacity requirements:
1. For security reasons many plantation companies discourage any
evacuation of FFB during the hour of darkness. It is therefore
implied that FFB deliveries to the mill will stop from 1900 to 0700.
In order that the mill will have sufficient capacity to sustain
operation during these hours a 12 hour storage capacity is required.
If an additional 2 hour contingency for mill breakdown is added a
total of 14 hour storage will be required. This effectively means
that for a 20 tons FFB/hour mill, there must be a storage capacity
of 280 tons.
2. In some estates, FFB deliveries to the mill continue throughout the
night and early morning. Under this environment large storage
capacity is not required and may be reduced to at most 4 hour
storage to allow for the inconsistency in FFB deliveries and for
mill stoppage due to breakdown.

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