System and method for washing eggs

Abstract

A system for washing a stream of eggs which are uniformly distributed on m feed rows of a transport device and assume well-defined positions thereon, comprising—a feeding section, having, at least at the location of the washing of the eggs, m feed rows with the eggs on diabolos which are attached to cross axes whose ends are connected to endless chains, a washing device through which the eggs on the feed rows are passed and washed,—a dirt detection device for testing the washed eggs for residues of dirt, whereby, according to a well-determined procedure carried out by, for instance, a computer, each egg is assigned a dirt grade, while the washed eggs are passed on the feed rows along the detection device, a discharge device to which are allocated, in accordance with and following said procedure, those eggs whose dirt grade has exceeded a predetermined limit, and which discharges them as dirty eggs from the feed rows, while the other eggs proceed as clean eggs on a follow-on conveyor virtually from the discharge device, the follow-on conveyor being composed of n rows, and—a replacing device for replacing these discharged eggs into the feed section, wherein the discharge device discharges the dirty eggs immediately after the detection device and returns them along at least a single return row, parallel to and in upstream direction relative to the feed rows, and the replacing device replaces these discharged dirty eggs virtually immediately before the washing device. Such a system enables far-reaching optimization of the associated washing process.