Juice heating and evaporation

To: 3rd year Food Process Eng’g students

By Yared Tesfaye
1
 Juice heating
Is done for different purposes by different ways
For example:

 First heating or mixed juice heating

 Second heating or sulphited juice heating

 Third heating or clear/clarified juice heating

2
 .
Mixed Ca(OH)2
juice
Flocculants

evaporation Pan
boiling

Mud
SO2

Filtrate
 1st heating (70-75 oc)

The main purposes of this heating:

 To facilitate the reaction rate between the lime and juice acid

 To prevent the loss of sucrose by microbiological activity by

inhibiting through heat

 To coagulate certain organic constituents like cane juice

protein
 Second heating (100-103 c) o

The main purposes of this heating :

 To ensure the complete elimination of air and vapour from

the juice prior to entering the clarifier through the flash

tank

 To lower the density of the juice so as to facilitate

sedimentation of precipitates

5
 Clarified juice heating (110-115 c) o

The main purpose of this heating :

 To have maximum benefit from additional vapour placed

because of the flash produced in the vessel(evaporator)

 For immediate starting of boiling in the vessel as a result of

saving exhaust steam used in the evaporator

6
 Types of Heater ( in sugar factory)
• Shell and tube heat exchanger oriented vertically

 This arrangement generally allows the heaters to be

accommodated and grouped more readily

• Shell and tube heat exchanger oriented horizontally

 This arrangement allows easy access for removal of the

heads and tube bundles for inspection and cleaning

7
 Placement of fluids
N.B: Place dirty fluids on the tube side as it is much

easier to clean the tube side than the shell side.

Therefore :in juice heaters;

 Juice – tube side

 Steam – shell side

8
 Vertical heater
.

9
 Juice circulation in a heater
• The juice circulates through the tubes and the
vapor/steam out side them
• Headers with baffles mounted on the top and
bottom tube sheets force the juice to pass a
certain number of times from top to bottom ,and
from bottom to top of the header by restricting
the juice each time to a few of the tubes

10
 Cont.

11
 Reasons of improper working in juice heaters
a) Improper and inadequate condensate extraction
 causing, directly affecting the accumulation of condensate inside the
steam chest which prevents the direct contact of vapour with heating
surface juice temperature. At the worst case it creates water hammering

b) Inadequate or non removal of noxious gases(non-condensable gases)

 blanketing off heating surface which prevents for heat transfer

c) Scaling of juice heater tubes

d) Insufficient vapour/ steam

12
 Juice Evaporation
. Water as vapor

Steam
Evaporator
Condensate
Clear /clarified juice
Concentrated juice

15
Cont.
• The function of evaporator is to remove water from the clear juice
so as to concentrate the clear juice having 15 o Brix to 60–65 o

Brix(done by multiple effect evaporator)

• This is That is: 1 ton of steam evaporates as many tons of water as
the effects
 For example : for a quadruple effects,1 ton of steam evaporates 4 tons
of water.
 Its use by far decreases the amount of steam required and the
associated fuel consumption of a single effect steam.
16
Cont...
• Multiple effect evaporator is made possible by
decreasing the pressure in the successive effects.
• Therefore, the vapour coming out of the effect could
be used for evaporating the next effect
• To attain pressure variation in successive effects , a
barometric condenser and vacuum pump or ejectors
are utilized on the last effect

17
Main reasons why evaporators work under vacuum :

• For the purpose of obtaining a larger temperature

differential between steam /vapour and boiling juice

• For the reduction of boiling point temperature

• To prevent inversion and destruction of sugars

• for steam economy

18
 Multiple effect evaporators
It works on the three main principles known as Rellieux's principles:

a) First principle

In multiple effects each pound of steam supplied in to the first body will

evaporate one pound of water in each body in series . With ‘’ N’’ effects one

pound of steam evaporates ‘’ N’’ pounds of water.

b) Second principle

If a weight of vapor ‘w’ is bled from effect ‘M’ of N effects and used in place of

steam for a given duty , the saving of steam is equal to M/N x w

c) Third principle

In any apparatus in which steam /vapor is condensed ,it is necessary to with

draw continuously the non condensable gas which is unavoidably left in the
20
heating surface compartment
Example : Triple effect evaporator
• .

21
Advantages of multiple effect evaporation

Saving steam required for :

 The evaporation and concentration of clarified

juice in second ,third and fourth effect

 Heating juice in heaters and pan boiling

22
Evaporation equipments

23
Crystallization and centrifugation

To: 3rd year Food Process Eng’g students

By Yared Tesfaye
39
 Pan boiling /crystallization
 Pan boiling/crystallization is one of the most
important unit operation which needs extra attention
in the process
 After the juice is concentrated to the optimum
/desired brix (60- 70 ) in multiple effect evaporators ;
it is called syrup
 The next operation is pan boiling /crystallization in
which syrup is further concentrated to 78 – 80 degree
brix at which crystallization of sucrose begins

40
 Crystallization of sucrose
a) Crystallization by evaporation
 Is done in a single effect vacuum evaporator
known as vacuum pan
 A pan is an evaporator crystallizer, that is a
unit where crystallization is done by
evaporating water contained in the syrup
b) Crystallization by cooling
 The name of equipment which crystallises
sugar by cooling is crystallizer
 Is employed to complete the job of
crystallization which starts at the pan station
41
 Vacuum pan
• Crystallization of sucrose by evaporation is done
by in a single effect vacuum evaporator designed
for handling viscous materials & known as
vacuum pan
• Syrup at 60 -70 degree brix is further evaporated
for the purpose of crystallizing the sucrose . This
operation is accomplished in vacuum pan
42
 Cont.
• Vacuum pan is entirely similar to that of evaporator body,
however in this vessel syrup is boiled under vacuum to form a
mixture of crystals and mother liquor called Massecuite
• This Massecuite viscosity is high ,handling it in narrow tubes of
evaporator is difficult
• For this reason a change is made to the pans in which tubes are
wide in diameter and short in length for effective circulation of
Masse cuite while boiling

43
Points to be considered during the design of pan

a) Provide uniform distribution of steam/vapour

b) Uniform and quick distribution of feed
c) Efficient removal of condensate
d) Efficient removal of non –condensable gases
e) Efficient catchall to prevent entrainment
f) Efficient circulation
49
 Solubility of sucrose
• Sucrose is very soluble in water and its solubility increases in water

with increase of temperature

• When we are working with pan boiling , we have to deal with syrup

which contains in solution not only sucrose but also other materials

like glucose ,organic substances ,mineral salts and others, Theses

substances change the solubility of sucrose

• In cane products, the solubility of sucrose decreases with decreasing

purity and it is mainly the reducing sugars which causes the decrease

insolubility of sucrose 51
 Super saturation zones with sucrose
• When sucrose solution contains the total
quantity of sucrose which it can dissolve
( maximum possible sucrose ) at a given
temperature , it is said to be saturated solution
• If the solution contains more dissolved sucrose
than the saturated solution it is termed as super
saturation 52
 Cont.
There are Three Zones Of Super Saturation. These are :

a) Metastable zone----------in this zone the solution is

supersaturated and existing crystals grow in size, but no new
grain crystals are formed
b) Intermediate zone ---------- in this region in which existing
crystals grow and also new crystals form but only in the
presence of existing crystals
c) Labile zone ------------in this zone crystals form spontaneously
with out the presence of other crystals
53
Solubility curve - Saturation diagram
Supersaturated
Or Labile
Kg solute/100kg solvent
Concentration

Metastable

Stable

Temperature
Stable zone – crystallisation not possible
Metastable zone MSZ – crystallisation possible but not spontaneous
Labile – crystallisation possible and spontaneous
We need a supersaturated solution for crystallisation
 Cont.
The over all process of crystallization may be considered to consist of two steps .i.e.

1) Nucleus formation

2) Crystal growth

 Which means that once the nucleus has formed by the aggregation of solute and

then it started to grow in size

 The dissolved sucrose from the mother liquor is deposited on the crystals by

adsorption

 The speed of this sucrose adsorption by the given crystals is proportional to its surface

area

 The smaller crystals grow more quickly than larger one and hence at given size

crystal, the greater the number of grain (crystal) ,the greater the surface area and the

speed of adsorption of sucrose from the mother liquor 58

 Principal phases of a strike during boiling
The general procedure / phase employed at the start up of boiling are :

1) Concentration
 the sugar boiler introduces in to pan a certain quantity of syrup or a
mixture of syrup & molasses of high purity
 Then the syrup/molasses is boiled up to a super saturation point
of about 1.25

2) Graining
 As the syrup concentrated ,it becomes more viscose. When the
super saturation has attained the required value ,graining is carried
out .
59
 Cont.
 The method of graining mostly employed is the seed slurry
method
 The prepared seed in the form of saturated is introduced in the
pan at a super saturation and then the sucrose molecules is
forced to deposit on the seed particles which act as nuclei
 The slurry is added while the material is in the meta stable zone
and the charge is held in that zone through out the boiling
 Thus no additional crystal is formed in the pan . The final
crystal simply representing the growth of the seed crystal added

60
 Cont.
3) Building ( developing ) up the grain
 This grain is further developed in to the desired grain size by
feeding of syrup/molasses/ melt or a combination of them
depending the Massecuite grade/ purity
 For example :
 The grain is developed by A-molasses and c-wash for A
footing strike ( fine)
 The grain is developed by A- molasses only for B-footing
strike (B fine)
 The grain is developed by B-molasses only for C- footing
strike (c fine)
61
 Cont.
4) Tightening the Massecuite

In pan boiling operation the syrup/molasses is introduced in to pan at a rate of

sufficient :
 To compensate for the quantity of water
 To increase slowly and progressively the volume of the Massecuite in the
pan ,in such away that concentration increases with the level of Massecuite
and so that the brix will approximate to the maximum value desired
 During the last phase of the strike ,we have therefore in the pan a very tight
and a very viscous Massecuite
 When it is observed that the crystals occupy the maximum space and that of
the mother liquor occupies only the void volume remaining between the
adjacent crystals which are touching each other , the strike is dropped from
the pan during normal operation

62
 Advantages of mechanical circulator
For low grade Massecuite at the end of the strike, the brix becomes
high so that circulation by heat only is not enough and hence the
circulation is assisted by mechanical circulator equipped with pan.
 Maximum temperature reached by the Massecuite substantially lower

 Saving time for the strike

 Less colour formed in the pan and reduced risk of sugar local over
heating
 Crystals better formed more sharply and more regularly

 Less deposit on the tubes due to the abrasion effect by the friction of
the circulating crystals and etc
64
 Factors affecting the rate crystallization

a) Purity of the Massecuite

 The rate of crystallization of sucrose decreases as the purity of the Massecute
decreases
 As can see from the graph ,as the purity of the Massecuite decreases, the rate
crystallization gets decrease

67
 Cont.

2) Degree of super saturation

3) Viscosity of the massecuite

 As Massecuite viscosity increases , it affects the mobility of sucrose molecules

and thus decreases the rate of crystallization

4) Temperature
 Sucrose crystals grows faster in the higher temperature

68
 Standard three boiling scheme
• In this case only one grade sugar ( A-sugar) to the market . This is
done by turning low grade sugars ( B & C) in to one superior grade
of marketable sugar .
a) A- Massecuite
 The first A Massecuite is boiled of purity 85 with a syrup on a
footing of single cured B-sugar seed
 It is further developed with syrup ,A-wash (run off)or sugar melt (B-
melt,C-melt)
 Then the fine strike is over cut in two or three pans to make a grain
of the required size (0.8mm)
 The Massecuite is discharged in to Massecuite receiver
 Then cured twice at centrifugals
 Finally this A- sugar is dried and packed as a product white sugar
69
 Cont.
b) B- Massecuite

 The second Massecute ‘’B ‘’ is boiled from a footing strike made by

graining on syrup and developing with A –molasses to a purity of
75 .
 Then the fine strike is over cut to the ‘’B ‘’ seed receiver and
finishing the first strike of the cycle with A molasses for a target
purity of 72 in the B-massecuite with grain size of 0.5mm.
 This Massecute is single cured and the B-sugar mixed with syrup/
clarified juice/ process cold water to make ‘’B’’ magma which is
then used as a footing for A –strike
70
 Cont.
C) C- Massecuite

 The third Massecuite ‘’C’’ is boiled from a footing and c- wash to purity of 68

 Then the fine strike is over cut to the C- grain receiver and finishing the first’’ c’’

strike of the cycle with ‘’B’’ molasses for the target purity of 55 in the ‘’C’’ Massecuite

with grain size of 0.2 mm

 This Massecuite is allowed to drop in to the crystallizer ( vertical) and further

crystallization on cooling continues for 12 hrs

 All doubled cured ‘’C ‘’ sugar at centrifugals is melted with clarified juice or process

hot water which is then used as a footing for high grade strike (A-Massecuite )
71
 Centrifugal separation
• The various grades of Massecuite after completion of
crystallization process in vacuum pans / crystallizers contain
sugar crystals together with mother liquor

• Hence the next operation is separation of this crystalline sugar

from molasses which is thick liquid

• The process of operation is said to be purging or curing or

centrifuging or centrifugal ling or fugal ling effected by
centrifugal machine
72
 Types of centrifugal machines
Two types of centrifugal machines are employed

for the purpose of separating molasses from the

sugar . These are

a) Batch centrifugals

b)Continuous centrifugals
73
 General operation principle of batch centrifugals

The entire operation of centrifugal separation in purging of

Massecuite involves the following steps:
a) Taking charge
b) Running at intermediate speed
c) Running at full speed
d) Ploughing and discharging
e) After ploughing stages, one complete cycle of operation is
over and the machine is ready for restarting the next cycle

76
 Batch centrifugals
• .

77
 Factors affecting centrifugal
separation
• Work at crystallization stages particularly at the pan
station has a great bearing on centrifugal performance.
• Generally the performance of centrifugal machines are
affected by :
 viscosity of the Massecute
 Uneven size of the grain

78
 Continuous centrifugals
• In continuous centrifugals a constant stream of
Massecuite is charged and sugar flows out continuously
• These centrifugals work essentially on thin layer
principle and efficient molasses separation is obtained
even from mixed size grain
• These are conical basket vertical machines being
perforated and lined with screens
• The drive for the machine is provided with electrical
motor mounted behind the machine with V- belts .
• The top of the machine is open while the bottom shaped
like cylinder is closed

79
Cont.

80
Basket of cont.centrifugals

81
 Sugar Handling
• After A- Massecuite double purged in batch
centrifugals , the wet A- sugar is allowed to feed
in rotary dryer – cooler for the purpose of drying
and then the dried sugar is screened /graded and
stored in sugar bins
• Finally dried white sugar is weighed in weighing
machine and packed by bagging machine for
commercial distribution
• Transportation of wet /dry sugar from one unit
operation to another is handled by :
a)Sugar conveyors like screw conveyor, belt
conveyor
b)Sugar elevators ( bucket elevator)
82
THE END

THANK YOU

QUESTIONS ???

83
Sugar production From
Sugar Beet

By Yared Tesfaye

84
 At the sugar factory

The extraction and production of sugar from

sugar beet takes place at factories on a large
scale.

Other products are also produced such as icing

sugar, caster sugar, Demerara sugar, dark and
light brown sugar and syrups. Co-products
from the production of sugar are also produced
including animal feed, soil, stones, tomatoes
and electricity.

© British Sugar 2010

1. Weighing and sampling

© British Sugar 2010

 1. Weighing and sampling

A sample from each delivery of sugar beet

entering the factory is weighed and then
tested to determine its sugar content.

On average one hectare of sugar beet crop

yields about 41 tonnes of clean, topped roots
from which seven tonnes of sugar can be
extracted.

© British Sugar 2010

2. Cleaning

© British Sugar 2010

 2. Cleaning
In the cleaning stage of the process the
sugar beet is washed in large quantities
of water, allowing it to pass through weed
and stone separators, before being
separated from the water by a vibrating
screen, known as a dewatering screen.

The sugar beet flows through the

separators by the force of gravity.

The co-products of this process are

topsoil and stones, which are removed for
separate processing at this stage.

© British Sugar 2010

3. Slicing and diffusion

© British Sugar 2010

 3. Slicing and diffusion

The slicers slice up to 520 tonnes of sugar beet

an hour. They cut the sugar beet into thin ‘v’
shaped strips called cossettes.

These are then pumped into three diffusion

towers where they are mixed with hot water to
extract the sugar.

© British Sugar 2010

 3. Slicing & diffusion
The water temperature in the diffusers is about 70°C; a little cooler than water
from a household kettle.

The sugar passes from the plant cells into the surrounding water.

From this process two important substances remain – the pulp and the sugar
that is in the water, which is known as raw juice.

© British Sugar 2010

 What happens to the pulp?

The pulp is mechanically pressed to extract as

much remaining sugar and water as possible.

Molasses is added, before it is dried at 880°C

(about nine times hotter than a household kettle)
before being formed into pellets.

The pellets are sold in bulk as animal feed for

cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock.

© British Sugar 2010

4. Purification

© British Sugar 2010

 4. Purification
The raw juice from the diffusion process passes through an important
purification stage called carbonatation.

Milk of lime (calcium hydroxide) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas are added.

During this process, the CO2 and milk of lime re-combine to produce calcium
carbonate which precipitates out, taking most of the impurities with it.

© British Sugar 2010

 What happens to the lime?

The solid waste is removed through a filtration

system which uses a series of frame/plate presses
with fine grade cloth filters.

Pressure is applied, which squeezes out the juice,

leaving lime solids, trapped by the cloth.

This lime contains trace elements such as

potassium and magnesium, which is then sold to
farmers as a soil improving fertiliser.

© British Sugar 2010

5. Evaporation

© British Sugar 2010

 5. Evaporation
The juice that remains from the purification process
is called thin juice.

The next stage in the process, evaporation, is

where the water is boiled off in a series of
evaporator vessels, known as multiple effect
evaporators.

This process increases the solids content of the

juice from 16% to 65%. The liquid that remains is
known as thick juice which then goes through the
crystallisation process.

© British Sugar 2010

6. Crystallisation

© British Sugar 2010

 6. Crystallisation
The thick juice is placed in pans which boil the
juice under pressure (vacuum), to lower the
boiling point.

The thick juice is seeded with tiny sugar crystals

which provide the nucleus for larger crystals to
grow.

A solution which is about to crystallise is known

as super saturated.

© British Sugar 2010

 6. Crystallisation
Once the crystals have reached the desired
size, the process is stopped. The resultant
mixture of crystal sugar and syrup, known as
massecuite, is spun in centrifuges to separate
the sugar from the mother liquor. Once the
sugar crystals have been removed the
remaining juice is returned to the process to be
spun again.

The sugar crystals are washed, and after

drying and cooling, are conveyed to storage
silos at a rate of 1,200 tonnes on an average
day.

© British Sugar 2010

7. Packaging

© British Sugar 2010

 7. Packaging
The sugar that is produced in the factory is sent to
the packaging complex where it is packed via a
series of automated machinery.

A machine automatically channels and measures

the amount of bags going through and pulls them
onto a pallet. Once on pallets, the bags of sugar
are shrink wrapped to protect them from moisture.

© British Sugar 2010

 Summary
The stages of sugar production include:

• Weighing and sampling

• Cleaning
• Slicing and diffusion
• Purification
• Evaporation
• Crystallisation
• Packaging

© British Sugar 2010

THE END

THANK YOU

QUESTIONS ???

106