914dns application note density measurement for sugar

Application Note914DNS2018

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Application Note914DNS

Density Measurement for Sugar & Alcohol Industry


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SummaryDensity Meter for Sugar & Alcohol Industry. ..............................................................................................................................................3

1. Mill Tandem, Brix Measurement. ................................................................................................................................................................3

1.1 The Primary Juice. .....................................................................................................................................................................................4

1.2 The Secondary Juice. ...............................................................................................................................................................................4

2. Decanters, Mud Concentration. .................................................................................................................................................................5

3. Evaporators, Brix Measurement. ................................................................................................................................................................6

3.1 Brix measurement at the Pre-Evaporator. .........................................................................................................................................6

3.2 Brix measurement between Evaporators. ........................................................................................................................................6

4. Vacuum Pan, Brix Measurement.................................................................................................................................................................7

5. Must control, Brix Measurement. ...............................................................................................................................................................8

6. Fermentation Tank, Brix Measurement. ...................................................................................................................................................9

7. Anhydrous Alcohol, Grade Measurement. ..............................................................................................................................................9

8. Hydrous Alcohol, Grade Measurement. ...................................................................................................................................................10


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Density Meter for Sugar & Alcohol Industry.The Springfield Density Meter model 914DNS will read the differential pressure of a pair of sensing diaphragms fixed

into a vertical column, given the distance between these sensors, the density of the oil fill and the local gravity, the

914DNS will calculate the Specific Density leading to the measurement of Brix, alcohol concentration and other

optional density units; the preferred unity scale for this industry is Brix.

Sugar & Alcohol manufacturing process is all about density. Given the raw product sugar cane, the processing plant

will extract the juice (Mill Tandem), filter (Decanters), reduce to syrup (Evaporators) and force the sugar crystallization

(Vacuum Pans). In every step of these processes density measurement and control will bring a major result in sugar

quality and energy efficiency of the processing plant.

For the alcohol production, the processing plant will get the juices from the mills and or the syrup from the

Evaporators, will make an ideal fermentation mix (Fermenting Tanks), filter the batch and extract the alcohol from the

fermented mixture (Distillery Columns), here too density control is extremely important.

An average Sugar & Alcohol plant can have from 20 to 30 points requiring density measurement, each point will

have its particular constraints, such as measurement range, product temperature, sampling method, static pressure,

turbulences, embedded bubbles, embedded debris, corrosion levels, installation issues, operator access, and control

strategy as well. The following chapters will address and explain many of these constraints, suggesting solutions to

optimize the performance of the 914DNS to measure density at every point of the process plant.

1. Mill Tandem, Brix Measurement.

Fig. 1. - Mill Tandem

Most Mill Tandems will have at least 4 sets of mills, so the sugar cane will be pushed from one into the next for further

crushing to remove nearly all the juices from the mass. The first set of mill will extract the Primary Juice, the following

sets will extract the Secondary Juice, these juices are handled separately until they reach the Decanter area for

clarification.


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1.1 The Primary Juice.

The Primary Juice is extracted from the first Mill, it will represent nearly 50% of all juices to be processed by the plant,

so the first mill has a tremendous extraction rate.

The Brix measurement of the Primary Juice will indicate the quality of the sugar cane and also will specify the

parameters for the next process, this product density will measure up to 20 Brix.

The 914DNS must be installed into a sampling vase designed to eliminate turbulences and air bubbles, the drawing

914DNS-1250 will indicate minimum requirements for this sampling vase. This technique will assure near real time

Brix indication.

1.2 The Secondary Juice.

The Tandems downstream will have an intricate system of juice recirculation

The Secondary Juice is extracted from the second Mill, it will the reminder of all sugars to be processed by the plant,

the sequent Mills, third, fourth, fifth, …., have theirs extractions connected in Tandem, output fifth-> input fourth,

output fourth-> input third, ….., and so on, the last Mill will be embedded with hot water to maximize the extraction.

The water amount is critical, too much will increase the energy requirement on the evaporation and distillery, too

little will waist too much sugar carried out by the fiber mass that will be used to fuel the steam boilers.

The Brix measure of the Secondary Juice will indicate the quantity of water necessary for the last Mill, and also will

specify the parameters for the next process, this product density will measure up to 20 Brix.



Brix indication.


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2. Decanters, Mud Concentration.

Fig. 2. - Decanters

The main purpose of a decanter is to filter the Primary and Secondary Juices, in order to remove most debris such as

sand, fibers and micro-fibers left from the Mill Tandem. At the bottom of the decanters there will be accumulation

a layer of solids namely Mud. Such Mud will contain high quantity of juices that can’t be lost. To optimize this juice

recovery, it is necessary to know the concentration of the Mud to trim in the treatment process. Here the scale of

measure is from 800 to 1300 Kg/m3.

The Mud product has high viscosity, high contents of sand, organic fibers and other debris that make it very abrasive.

The sampling vase must reduce the speed of the Mud and minimize the erosion of the sensing diaphragms. It is also

important good access to the Transmitter for cleaning and inspection.

The 914DNS must be installed into a sampling vase designed to ensure a low speed of the Mud to minimize the

effects of abrasion, the drawing 914DNS-1951 will indicate minimum requirements for this sampling vase. This

technique will assure adequate measurement of this concentration.


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3. Evaporators, Brix Measurement.

Fig. 3. - Evaporators

The main purpose of the Evaporators is to remove water from the Juices, creating a dense syrup for immediate

use downstream, or stored for later use. They are composed of a battery of at least 4 stages, the first is named Pre-

Evaporator, the following are second, third and fourth stage. The evaporation process requires massive amounts of

energy, adequate density control will assure energy savings, product quality and smooth operation of the plant.

3.1 Brix measurement at the Pre-Evaporator.

The Pre-Evaporator is the most dynamic of all effects, it will take the raw juice and remove around 50% of the water

contained. It requires massive amounts of energy and operate at temperatures around 120C. The steam generated

by this process, namely vegetable steam, will provide energy to the following evaporation stages, therefore the

operation of the Pre-Evaporator is extremely important.

The Pre-Evaporator will output syrup up to 40 Brix, the set value is user defined.

The 914DNS must be installed into a sampling vase designed to ensure a low temperature of the syrup with cooling

arrangements, the drawing 914DNS-1952 will indicate minimum requirements for this sampling vase. This technique

will assure adequate measurement of this Brix without thermal failures.

Beware the Density Transmitter will require cooling the syrup collected from the Pre-Evaporator, the sampling pipe

itself can cool the syrup to acceptable levels. For instance, the fixture can be installed at the bottom level of the

evaporator and the pipe column itself will offer great cooling features.

3.2 Brix measurement between Evaporators.

The output of the Pre-Evaporator will feed the second stage and so on, each stage will remove more water from the

syrup to the limit allowed by the process, up to 80 Brix. The Brix increase between stages is user defined, depend

upon observations and experience with the process.

The 914DNS must be installed into a sampling vase designed to ensure a low temperature of the syrup with cooling


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arrangements, the drawing 914DNS-1952 will indicate minimum requirements for this sampling vase. This technique

will assure adequate measurement of the Brix without thermal failures.

The resulting syrup from one effect is fed into the next by gravity plus normal process suction, at the last effect there

are syrup pumps to push it into the next processing equipment or reservoirs. These pumps can drain all syrup from

the sampling vase causing measurement disruption, in this case we recommend connecting the outlet of the vase

into the inlet of the last effect.

4. Vacuum Pan, Brix Measurement.

Fig. 4. - Vacuum Pan

The main purpose of the Vacuum Pan is to remove all the water and promoting the crystal formation, from start

to end there are many different phases requiring unique control strategy. During this transformation process, the

density is measured by very dedicated micro-wave reflectometry covering all aspects of the transformations within

the sugar syrup.

To obtain an optimum product at the output is necessary operator experience, a good control strategy for each

phase of the process, energy and start the whole process with syrup at optimum conditions. The starting syrup is a

mixture of the products from the Evaporators, water plus the residual sugars from the centrifuges, these products are

mixed into a pre-set density ranging from 50 to 90 Brix, then pre-heated, and fed into the Vacuum Pan.

The 914DNS can be installed directly inside the syrup mixing tank, the drawing 914DNS-1952 will indicate minimum

requirements for this installation. This technique will assure adequate measurement of the Brix with minimum

failures.


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5. Must control, Brix Measurement.

Fig. 5. - Must control

The alcohol production will start with the preparation of Must, it is a mixture of syrups from the Evaporators and

remainders of the Vacuum Pans, plus pure Juice from the Mill Tandems, and if absolutely necessary, water. The final

Must need to have a pre-defined Brix measure, then it will feed the Fermentation tanks.

This process will happen in a Must mixing tank and the output is pumped into the Fermentation tank, we

recommend taking a sample of the output to feed the sampling vase for real time measurement. The installation of

the vase should be near the mixing tank, so we recommend the output of the vase to feed back the same tank, the

flow rate can be adjusted by the shut-off valves.



Brix indication.


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6. Fermentation Tank, Brix Measurement.

Fig. 6. - Fermentation Tank

The Fermentation process happen inside tanks, it will take the Must and the ferment and left for several hours until

the bacteria transform all sugars into alcohol. The Brix measurement is extremely important to indicate when batch is

finished, once finished the fermented product should move to the next process as fast as possible minimizing losses

due to alcohol evaporation.

914DNS must be installed directly into side walls of the Fermentation tanks, there is no special installation

requirements other than utilizing the Density Meter for side installation. This technique will assure near real time Brix

indication, from start to end of the process.

7. Anhydrous Alcohol, Grade Measurement.

Fig. 7. - Anhydrous Alcohol


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This alcohol is product of the distillation process, the temperature will change from case to case but always above the

20C reference temperature. We recommend sampling the alcohol directly from the output of the distillery column

and cooling it down to as close as possible to room temperature, preferably keeping it at constant value to optimize

the measurement accuracies. The Grade measure is important for controlling the distillation process.



Grade indication.

8. Hydrous Alcohol, Grade Measurement.

Fig. 8. - Hydrous Alcohol

This alcohol is product of the distillation process, the temperature will change from case to case but always above the

20C reference temperature. We recommend sampling the alcohol directly from the output of the distillery column

and cooling it down to as close as possible to room temperature, preferably keeping it at constant value to optimize

the measurement accuracies. The Grade measure is important for controlling the distillation process.



Grade indication.

Brix Density Transm

itter

Shut-off valves

8" Sampling vase

Inlet

Outlet

2198" SC

H 10Pm

ax 150 psi

BB

Flange 4" 150 psi

129 246 500

1.5" SCH 10

200

875

104

B-B

Inlet ratings:Pm

ax: 150 psiTm

ax: 65CQ

max: 300 l/m

Outlet ratings:

Pmax: 150 psi

Tmax: 65C

Qm

ax: 300 l/m

General requirem

ents:

a) System m

ust be rinsed w

ith clean water for 10 m

inutes every 12 hours.b)Prod

uct flow m

ust be constant without bubles &

turbulence.c) Prod

uct temperature m

ust be kept constant and below

65C.

d) Instrum

ent must have easy acess for m

aintenance and calibrations.

e) Am

bient temperatue w

ithin limitis of hum

an confort.f) D

rain all pressure before attempt to rem

ove the instrument.

g) Observe m

aximum

pressures and tem

perature recomend

ed.

h) Use clean water for calibraiton, prefereable at w

orking temperature.

Inlet FlowResponse tim

e35 l/m

in60 sec

70 l/min

15 sec140 l/m

in8 sec

300 l/min

4 sec

DRA

WN

CHK'D

APPV

'D

MFG

Q.A

UNLESS O

THERWISE SPEC

IFIED:

DIM

ENSIO

NS A

RE IN M

ILLIMETERS

SURFAC

E FINISH:

TOLERA

NC

ES: LIN

EAR:

AN

GULA

R:

FINISH:

DEBUR A

ND

BREA

K SHARP

EDG

ES

NA

ME

SIGN

ATURE

DA

TE

MA

TERIAL:

DO

NO

T SCA

LE DRA

WIN

GREVISIO

N

TITLE:

DW

G N

O.

SCA

LE:1:10SHEET 1 O

F 1

A4

WEIG

HT:

Springfield

Research

Corp.

914DN

S-1250

Density M

eter application note:Sam

ple vase for juices and syrups, Range from

0 to 70 Brix

Inled of the box, M

ud pum

pedfrom

Decanters

Outlet of the box, M

ud to

treatment &

vacuum filters

Mud

inspection & sam

pling at the inlet sid

e of the box

pre existing m

ud inspection box

type open top

Density Transm

itterassem

bled at corner

Mud

level barrierto be installed

1000min

2501/4" steel plate

45° BB

Density Transm

itterassem

bled w

ith sensing diaphram

s d

irected to the corner

150mud flow

30512" SC

H 5M

ud Inlet

30512" SC

H 5M

ud O

utlet

6m

udbarrier

1000min

110mud imersion

500mud column

B-B

Sensing diaphragm

facing the cornerto m

inimize d

amages &

erosion

DRA

WN

CHK'D

APPV

'D

MFG

Q.A

UNLESS O

THERWISE SPEC

IFIED:

DIM

ENSIO

NS A

RE IN M

ILLIMETERS

SURFAC

E FINISH:

TOLERA

NC

ES: LIN

EAR:

AN

GULA

R:

FINISH:

DEBUR A

ND

BREA

K SHARP

EDG

ES

NA

ME

SIGN

ATURE

DA

TE

MA

TERIAL:

DO

NO

T SCA

LE DRA

WIN

GREVISIO

N

TITLE:

DW

G N

O.

SCA

LE:1:20SHEET 1 O

F 1

A4

WEIG

HT:

Springfield

Research

Corp.

914DN

S-1251

Density m

eter application note:M

ud inspection & control area

Instalation at pre-existing box

874

2198" SC

H 10Pm

ax 150 psi AA

flange 4" 150psi

Density Transm

itter

8" vaseTm

ax 75C

1.5" SCH 10

Top Inlet

1.5" SCH 10

Bot Outlet

shut-off valves

drain valve

water valve

sifon

flange 4" 150 psi

128 246 500

874

120

114

75

A-A

top mirror

From top m

irror,Syrup coolantm

ay be required

drain

water

To syrup INPUT

General requirem

ents:

a) System m

ust be rinsed w

ith clean water for 10 m

inutes every 12 hours.b)Prod

uct flow m

ust be constant.c) Prod

uct temperature m

ust be kept constant and below

75C.

d) Instrum

ent must have easy acess for m

aintenance and calibrations.

e) Am

bient temperatue w

ithin limitis of hum

an confort.f) D

rain all pressure before attempting to rem

ove the instrument.

g) Observe m

aximum

pressures and tem

perature recomend

ed.

h) Use clean water for calibration, prefereable at w

orking temperature.

DRA

WN

CHK'D

APPV

'D

MFG

Q.A

UNLESS O

THERWISE SPEC

IFIED:

DIM

ENSIO

NS A

RE IN M

ILLIMETERS

SURFAC

E FINISH:

TOLERA

NC

ES: LIN

EAR:

AN

GULA

R:

FINISH:

DEBUR A

ND

BREA

K SHARP

EDG

ES

NA

ME

SIGN

ATURE

DA

TE

MA

TERIAL:

DO

NO

T SCA

LE DRA

WIN

GREVISIO

N

TITLE:

DW

G N

O.

SCA

LE:1:20SHEET 1 O

F 1

A4

WEIG

HT:

Springfield

Research

Corp.

914DN

S-1252

Density M

eter application note:Evaporators: Sam

pling vase Range from

0 to 70 Brix

Springfield Research reserves the right to make changes to design and functionality of any product without notice. Springfield Research does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of any product. Springfield Research logo is registered trademarks of Springfield Research.HART is a registered trademark of the HART Communication Foundation.© 2017 Springfield Research Corp. All rights reserved

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914dns application note density measurement for sugar

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