Vertical Continuous Technology (VCT)
The Vertical Continuous Technology (VCT) is a continuous system for the production of paraboiled paddy rice. Some descriptions and illustrations of the process go back to the beginning of the last century, as do a number of relevant. U.S.patents.
At the heart of this process is the vertical continuous cooker, in which the cooking process can take place either under steam pressure or under atmospheric conditions.
Plants equipped with a vertical continuous system can process 150 to 1000 tonnes of paddy a day.
They are suitable for processing all relevant varieties of paddy.
Thanks to sensors and a motor control centre (MCC), the process is easily managed during the three stages of soaking, cooking and drying. After is cleaned, the paddy is loaded into a receiving group, where it is stored before it is delivered to the soaking tanks for the soaking process.
The paddy is soaked for several hours in hot water under conditions best suited for the variety.
All the soaking tanks are equipped with an automatic recirculation system yo keep the water at a constant temperature for the duration of the soaking process.
At the end of the soaking process, the waste water is automatically discharged and the soaked paddy is delivered by a special belt conveyor and elevator into the vertical continuous cooker.
The cookers are made of quality materials to conform with current standards for steam pressure equipment (European CODE).
The autoclave is provided with an independent support structure and optional load cells are inserted to verify the actual filling levels. Special rotary valves are installed to load and unload the paddy, and the autoclave is provided with probes, control valves and instruments for regulating the parboiling process.
This equipment serves to manage the cooking times and is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). The soaked paddy is steamed under pressure.
