Refinery Solution

Refining is a process that involves removing impurities from raw sugar to produce refined sugar. The refining process typically involves several stages, including melt clarification, decolorization, and ion exchange.

Melt Clarification System

The first step in sugar refining is melt clarification, which involves removing impurities from the sugar syrup. During the sugar production process, the sugar syrup becomes contaminated with various impurities, including plant material, minerals, and organic compounds. These impurities can affect the quality and taste of the final product.

Melt clarification involves heating the sugar syrup to a high temperature and adding a clarifying agent, such as lime or phosphoric acid. The clarifying agent reacts with the impurities, causing them to coagulate and form a solid mass. This mass is then removed from the syrup by filtration, leaving behind a clear, clean syrup.

Decolourization of the liquor is effected in a two pass resin system consisting of columns each containing resin. The flow of clear liquor to the columns in service will normally be equally split between these columns, giving a flow rate at design of 2.8-3.0 bed volumes/ hour which is sufficiently low to ensure that acceptable pressure drops across the resin beds will not be encountered.

The clear liquor will therefore be pumped from the clear liquor tank by clear liquor pumps to the two de-colorizing resin columns which are in service. The partially decolorized liquor flows from the columns into the fine liquor tank from where it is pumped to the Pan Supply Tank.

Regeneration of the resin is carried out using a 10% Sodium Chloride ( Brine ) solution to which 2% Sodium Hydroxide has been added.

Facilities are included to treat the resin with a 5% Hydrochloric Acid solution in order to remove calcium deposits from the resin, should this be necessary.

Correct operation of the system is ensured by the use of air operated pneumatic control valve which gives correct positioning of the valves controlling each operational sequence. Valves which are not in operation are isolated in their correct position thus, ensuring that incorrect routing of material does not occur.