30,000 TONNES PER ANNUM

WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

for
MALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD
&
TITIAN ASLI SDN BHD
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Topics
• What is winter fuel
• Process description
• Plant description
• Operating instructions
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

WHAT IS WINTER FUEL

 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Normal grade palm biodiesel

• Palm methyl esters (PME) produced from
RBD palm oil or palm olein
• Melting point ≅ 15°C
• At low temperatures
¾ Normal palm biodiesel will start to gel
¾ The diesel engine will stall
• Suitable only for countries with hot climate
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Winter grade palm biodiesel

• Liquid esters produced by fractionation of
normal grade palm biodiesel
• Pour point ≅ –21 to 0°C
• Definition of pour point
¾ The lowest temperature at which
movement of the fuel can be detected
when the sample container is tilted
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

PROCESS DESCRIPTION
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Stage 2
Fractionation process Cooling and crystallization
according to a cooling curve

Water
Stage 1 return
Preheating of
the feedstock
to 40°C

Recirculation
Steam

Ester
feed

Recirculation
To filter press

Hot Chilled
water water
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Core Blow

Recirculation

Stearin

Stage 3
Filtration to separate
liquid ester (olein) from
solid ester (stearin)

Washing Olein Squeezing

 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Typical crystallization cooling curve

40°C
Temperature (°C)

Time (hour)
Water Ester
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Filtration : Feeding step

• Olein passes through the
Feed from
filter cloth and out of the
crystallizer filter via the filtrate
channel

Olein
• Stearin is retained by the
filter cloth, forming a cake
which fills the filter
Stearin chamber
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Olein for
squeezing
Filtration : Squeezing step
• Inflation of the flexible
membrane with olein
• The inflated membrane
presses on the stearin
cake thus forcing out
olein trapped in the cake
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Filtration : Cake discharge step

• Blowing of feed channel and
filtrate channel with
compressed air
• The drip pan and filter are
opened and the stearin cake
drops into the melting tank

Drip Pan
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

PLANT DESCRIPTION
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Plant 1 - Crystallizers

To
filter
press
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Plant 1 - Filtration

Cold Room
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Plant 2 - Crystallizers

To
filter
press

Hot water Chilled water

from P110 from P132
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Plant 2 - Filtration
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Utility Section

Hot Water Chilled Water

(80-90°C) (minus 15°C)
to Plant to Plant

Glycol
Chiller

Hot Chilled
Water Water
Tank Tank

HOT CHILLED
WATER WATER
SYSTEM SYSTEM
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Plant 1 Plant 2 Filtration

(12 crys) (3 crys) section

Utility section
Additive tanks
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Filter 1 Filter 2

Olein
dryer

Stearin
dryer
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Production of winter fuel

(double fractionation)

Note : The yield

figures are only PME
approximate

60% Step A 40%

Olein A Stearin A
Plant 1

Step B Step C
Plant 1 Plant 2
35% 25% 20% 20%

Olein B Stearin B Olein C Stearin C

Winter fuel
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Production of winter fuel

(single long fractionation)

Note : The yield

figures are only PME
approximate

Step A’
Plant 1
35% 65%

Olein A’ Stearin A

Winter fuel
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Recirculation Water
inlet return

• Agitator
• Frequency inverter
• Level transmitter c/w settings
Crystallizer
for HLA & LLA
• High level switch
• Inlet actuated valve
• Outlet actuated valve
• Water circulation pump
• Water circulation flowmeter
• Temperature of ester
• Temperature control for water
• Level control for water
Hot water
Chilled water
Ester
To filter
feed Recirculation press
outlet
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

PLC Control System – Overview

 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Key in control parameters for crystallizers.

 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Key in control parameters for filtration and utility sections.

 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Key in settings for cooling programs (recipes).

Total no. of recipes in the library = 15.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Recipe Settings : No. of segments used = 4

Segment no. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 … … … 19
Water temperature (°C) 35 25 20 18 18 - - - - - - - -
Segment time (min) 0 30 50 120 300 - - - - - - - -

35
Cooling curve
Temperature (°C)

25

20
18

30 50 120 300

Time (min)
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Select the type of feed material – Methyl Ester (Step A) or Liquid Ester (Step B).
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Select the recipe to be used for each crystallizer.

 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Select FILL – inlet valve V401-1 will open, the feed pump will start. When
LT401 reaches 50%, agitator AG401 will start.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

At high level HLA or high high level LSH, the feed pump will stop. After a
preset delay timer, inlet valve V401-1 will close .
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

At the end of the preset homogenizing period, cooling will start automatically
– pump P301 will start, controllers LIC301 and TIC401 will run.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

If the temperature of ester in the crystallizer is less than 40°C after

homogenizing, reheat the ester and select COOL to start cooling.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

The cooling time varies from 20 hr to 50 hr. In the mean time, start feeding
ester into the next crystallizer.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

At the end of cooling, a message will be displayed. Select DISCHARGE –

outlet valve V401-3 will open.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Start the filtration process at the filter press PLC panel. Operation of the filter
press from closing to opening is fully automatic.
 WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

At low level LLA, agitator AG401 and pump P301 will stop. After a preset
delay timer, outlet valve V401-3 will close.
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Batch Report
WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Daily Production Report

WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

QUESTIONS?