Design of a sugar

manufacturing plant

Basics in process Engineering Design

Group
Contents
Members
Preliminary stage
Finding the demands
Identifying various processes
Selecting a process
Find a suitable location
Block diagram for the selected process
Raw material specifications
Environmental considerations
Utility services
Energy sources
Identifying problems/ Limitations
Mass balances

Finding the
Group Members
demands
Sri Lanka sugar demands 1993-2011 Year

1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Sources :Department of Census and Statistics 2002
2003
Pelwatte Sugar Industries Ltd
2004
Sevanagala Sugar Industries Ltd
2005
ri Lanka Customs
2006
entral Bank of Sri Lanka
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011

Sugar demand,
MT
457442
563275
487512
454339
609055
550000
541220
544220
560033
591661
570050
501151
471376
581019
507544
610378
498168
579336
640876

Finding the
Group Members
demands
Prediction through curve fitting
700
600
500

f(x) = 3.72x - 6906.77

R = 0.15

400
Suggar deamand,1000MT

Linear ()
Linear ()
Linear ()

300
200
100
0
1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

Year

Current demand 2013 584,373 MT

Demand in 2015 591,815
MT

Our target 59,181.5

MT/Yr
200 working days 12.33
MT/hr

Identifying various

Identifying various
Group
Members
processes

Cane Sugar
Beet Sugar
Corn Sugar

Cane Sugar
- Crystal, Powder, syrup
Cane sugar industry
Beet Sugar and
sugar industry are
- Crystal, Powder, syrup
process.
Corn Sugar

Both of
Beet
used same

Identifying various

Identifying various
Group
Members
processes
Cane sugar
Grown in Tropical climate areas
within 22N-22S
at least 800-1000 mm/year
Soil temperature is about 70-80F
Temperature max growth at 27C
For the better photosynthesis in
leaves sugarcane need plentiful
sunshine.

Beet sugar
Grown in Sub-tropical
climate areas
Temperature of 15-22 C
Requires a good irrigation
system and law wind speeds
The process of manufacturing
beet sugar is quite similar to
that of sugar cane.

Product
specification
Group
Members
Cane Sugar
Raw

Refined

Crystal (mill)

Muscavado

Demerara

Icing

Premium Liquid Sugar

Invert

White Crystal

Caster
Fine Liquid Sugar
Refined - Fine

Granulated

Mainly produce 3 types of sugar by Cane

Row Cane sugar ( Brown
sugar )

Mill White sugar ( White

Sugar)
Refined sugar ( White
Sugar )

Product
specification
Group
Members

We chose Raw Cane sugar

( Brown sugar )

Find a suitable
Group Members
location
Requirements for sugar cane cultivation
Soil type
Climate
Rain fall
Temperature
Wind

medium to heavy well drained

RH-70% (for optimum vegetation growth)
at least 800-1000 mm/year
max growth at 27C
High Wind exceeding 60 km/hr

Sri Lanka temperature

profile

Find a suitable
Group Members
location

A - South-east region
(Hambanthota,
Embilipitiya)
B- North-west region
(Mannar)

Source : https://sites.google.com/a/tcd.ie/sri-

Find a suitable
Group Members
location
Use factor rating method,
A- South east region
B- North west region

Critical Factor

Weigh
t

Rating

A
B
Rain fall for cultivation
10
100
100
Temperature for cultivation
9
100
100
Soil fertility
7
80
40
Water supply
7
70
60
Land cost and availability
9
80
70
Labour cost and avaliablity
6
70
70
Transport
5
60
80
Score
4390 4050
More suitable location is South east region of Sri Lanka

Raw material
Group Members
specifications
Sugarcane will be grown in 1315 Ha
To get the maximum crop new sugarcane clone L-97-128 is
recon
Other main raw materials for the sugar plants are lime and
water.
Water can be delivered either from the Lunugamwehera
irrigation system or Udawalawe tank
Water from Lunugamwehera is small and most of the water
from it is used in agriculture already
Lime is used for the clarification of raw juice
Either imported or use CaCO3 found in south or north-western
parts of Sri Lanka We cant use lime from corals
This is a food product, we have to use pure lime therefore it
is recommended to get lime from a foreign country.

Environmental
Selecting
a processing
Group Members
method
considerations
Land usage
Land usage is too large for cane cultivation
De-forestation
Change of animal habitats
De-fertilization of soil
Waste water
Inputs to the sugar plant are mainly sugar cane and some
amount of water
The water is used in milling as imbibition water and steam
discharge water from pan boilers

Environmental
Selecting
a processing
Group Members
method
considerations
Gas emissions
Emissions such as Sulpher Oxides and Nitro Oxides can be
emitted from the clarifier

Baggase

Solid waste
Produces dust and ash which can cause skin diseases
Baggase and filter cake are removed from milling and
vacuum pumps
Baggase can be used in boilers, filter cake can be used as
fertilizer

Selecting a processing
Group Members
Utility services
method
Electricity
Used in crane system, cutters, and various kinds of motors,
centrifugal machines, juice clarifiers, driers, bucket elevators,
air compressors, magnetic separators, pump house, work shop
facilities and lighting
Delivered from Ceylon Electricity Board national grid.
There is a potential to produce electricity by baggase coming
out from milling process
Power house steam turbines will use steam from boiler where
the baggase is burned
Start up of the power plant firewood can be used

Selecting a processing
Group Members
Utility services
method
Steam
Steam is the main utility for the operation in a sugar factory.
Generated in boilers which Steam is used in different forms
such as superheated stem etc.
Superheated steam is used for operating mill house
machinery, shredder, and power turbines
Exhaust steam will be used process heating
De-superheating unit and pressure reducing unit
Superheated steam cannot be used for process heating
purposes.

Selecting a processing
Group Members
Utility services
method
Compressed air
Used in pneumatic control system of the factory
In vacuum filter to create vacuums in different levels
Used in a pressure of 7bar so the sufficient air compressors are
used
Work shop facility
Workshop facility to repair the factory machinery in factory itself
Workshop machines such as lathe, milling, boring are essential
Auto mobile repair centre
Various vehicles are used in both sugar planting and the factory
Vehicles may come up with various problems

Selecting a processing
Group Members
Energy sources
method
Electricity
Electricity from CEB and steam turbines are used in sugar factories
Electricity from CEB for lighting, for residences
Electricity from steam turbines for other uses [pumps, motors,
compressors etc.]
Thermal Power Steam
Super heated steam is used Mill turbines, shredder , power turbines
Exhaust steam from these processes is used in evaporation,
Vapor generated from evaporation can be used in pan boilers
Bio mass
Firewood for boiler startup
Baggase for boiler

Identifyinga problems/
Selecting
processing
Group Members
method
Limitations
Supposed to manufacture 59,181MT of sugar per annum
Better to have line production instead of single line plant
Or else use multiple lines for the unit operations which take
long time to complete Those steps can be considered as the
limiting factors
Shredding and pan boiling are such unit operations.
Problems arising in startup in the boiler plant
As mentioned previously firewood can be used for startup
the boiler until baggase lots are available for burning
if manufacturing white sugar ,have to add another unit
operation to the process which involves lots of chemicals
What importing is white sugar
Manufacturing white sugar will make a competition between
Sri Lankan Sugar manufacturing and imported sugar
Therefore the process is limited to brown sugar
manufacturing.

References
1. E. Hugot.Handbook of Sugar cane Engineering, Third
completely revised edition: Elsevier science publishing
company; 1986.
2. Rogger P. Humbert.The growth of sugar cane, Revised
edition : Elsevier science publishing company; 1968.
3. Verlas Dr. Albert Bartens KG.CANE SUGAR ENGINERING.
Berlin, Germany; 2007.
4. Juliano Jos Corbi & Susana Trivinho-Strixino & Ademir dos
Santos.Environmental Evaluation of Metals in Sediments and
Dragonflies Due to Sugar Cane Cultivation in Neotropical
Streams.
http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11270-0089749-1 (accessed 17th December 2012).

References
5. K. A. Gravois,* K. P. Bischoff, S. B. Milligan, F. A. Martin, J.
W. Hoy, T. E. Reagan, C. A. Kimbeng, C. M. LaBorde, and G.
L. Hawkins.Registration of L 97-128 Sugarcane.
https://www.crops.org/publications/jpr/pdfs/2/1/24
(accessed 16th December 2012)
6. Sugar cane. http/www.wikipedia.org/sugarcane
(accessed 10th December 2012)

End of slides