Completed projects and reports
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Sugar Research Australia, Sugar Research Development Corporation and BSES reports from completed research projects and papers.
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Item Evaluate the suitability of the fixed element crystalliser for widespread adoption in Australian sugar factories : final report 2019/202(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2020) Gregg, M; Lowrey, M; Broadfoot, R; Abdi, IThe fixed-element design of a horizontal cooling crystalliser is relatively new to the Australian industry and the installation at Broadwater Mill for the 2017 season proved to be an economical solution to refurbish the mill’s first unit in a continuous-flow station of three crystallisers. The crystalliser consists of 12 fixed cooling elements and 14 rotating paddles. A variable-speed drive was installed to allow a rotational speed of the paddles up to 1.45 r/min, depending on the massecuite viscosity and imposed torque. Apart from fabrication of the fixed elements, the mill’s staff undertook the complete installation. During the 2019 season, trials were undertaken which demonstrated good overall performance with respect to heat transfer, residence time distribution and molasses exhaustion. The good performance is attributed to the paddles providing strong flow of massecuite transversely and also longitudinally to generate flow across the cooling surface. Torque control of the variable speed drive is recommended as this allows rotation of the paddles at maximum speed for the prevailing viscosity of the massecuite, while limiting the stresses on the drive components.Item Reducing in surging in shredders : final report 2019/204(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2020) Arzaghi, E; Kent, GA; Chohan, PCane shredders and the level of cane preparation achieved by them play a significant role in the performance of every mill’s extraction train. The application of feeder rolls to shredders has a twofold objective of increasing the angle of wrap and maintaining a uniform feed of cane into the shredder. In addition to these improvements that were observed in several experiments across the Australian mills, there have been reports on other benefits of using feeder rollers including reduction of deterioration in shredders. Feeder rolls are currently installed in half of the Australian sugar mills. However, there exists several challenges with operating feeder rolls including inconsistency in feeding rate. Limited research effort has been made to identify a design and setting which yields adequate feeding consistency. Most of the previous research focused on feeder rolls dates back to the 1980s and 1990s confirming that the influence of geometric factors on feeding behaviour is well worthy of investigation.Item Evaluate the performance of the falling film tube evaporator at Bingera Mill : final report 2019/201(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2020) Sichter, N; Zahn, R; Kumar, S; Broadfoot; Adbi, IFor the 2018 season Bundaberg Sugar installed a 4000 m2 falling film tube evaporator (FFTE) of the BMA design at No 1 evaporator position at Bingera Mill. This was the first installation of a FFTE into the Australian industry. An evaluation program was undertaken during the 2019 season to assess the performance with respect to heat transfer efficiency, effect of scaling rates on heat transfer, deentrainment efficiency of the juice droplets from the vapour outflow stream and the general operational performance. As well tracer studies were undertaken to determine the distribution of residence times for juice in the evaporator. Measurements were also undertaken to determine the extent of sucrose degradation occurring within the evaporator. Overall the evaporator has performed well with respect to the above list of test parameters. However, the effect of scaling on heat transfer efficiency was only able to be evaluated for typically 120 hours of operation as the mill was restricted to 5 day crushing operations each week due to the small drought affected crop. A chemical clean of the evaporator was undertaken on shutdown each week.Item Evaluation of the Neltec Colour Q for measuring the purity of magma from C centrifugals : final report 2018/201(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2019) Pike, D; Broadfoot, R; King, S; Woods, PIn Australian factories one operator typically manages the high grade fugalling, sugar drying and low grade (C) fugalling stations. The C fugals are managed least effectively as there is no process instrumentation to monitor on line C sugar purity or final molasses purity. Conditions can change rapidly in the C fugals without the operator being aware and poor performance can persist for several hours. Tight control of the C sugar purity is important to avoid high sucrose losses to final molasses or an excessive recycle of impurities in the C sugar (magma or remelt) to the pan stage.Item Evaporator liquor brix sensor : final report 2017/003(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2019) Stobie, RA Pro-M-tec Ultrasonic Time of Flight (TOF) sensor was installed for trials at Victoria Mill in 2017. The TOF instrument calculates the brix of a liquid using the measurement of temperature and velocity of an ultrasonic signal through a liquid. The single sensor was located in a spool piece on the discharge line from final evaporator liquor pumps.Item Develop a blueprint for the introduction of new processing technologies for Australian factories: final report 2015/043(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2018) Broadfoot, R; Rackemann, DW; Moller, DJSeveral overseas factories are using technologies that reduce their process steam consumptions to very low levels, e.g. lower than 32% on cane, which are much lower than achieved by the most steam efficient Australian factories (~40% on cane). The steam efficient technologies that are not currently being used in Australian factories include:- Falling film tube evaporators and Kestner evaporators; In-line juice heaters on vapour from the final evaporator; Barriquand juice heaters; Use of vapour from the 3rd evaporator for pan boiling; Direct contact pan feed conditioning systems; and Vapour recovery systems such as in condensate cigars.Item Developing a new methodology for competency based training courses for shift supervisors in sugar factories : revised final report QUT032(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2014) Broadfoot, RThe provision of effective training of supervisors and operators is essential if sugar factories are to operate profitably and in an environmentally sustainable and safe manner. The benefits of having supervisor and operator staff with a high level of operational skills are reduced stoppages, increased recovery, improved sugar quality, reduced damage to equipment, and reduced OH&S and environmental impacts.Item Advanced computer simulation of sugar factories - SysCAD : revised final report 2010/040(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2014) Broadfoot, R; McFeaters, J; Stephenson, RThis project aims to develop a highly adaptable 'whole of sugar factory' process model that includes the capability to incorporate a variety of adjunct processing options e.g. cogeneration, biofuel production from molasses, juice or fibre, biochemical production.Item Flocculation and sedimentation of slow settling mud and mud cake conditioning : final report 2012/056(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2015) Doherty, W; Rainey, T; Bakir, HThe project aimed to improve the flocculation and sedimentation of slow settling mud, and reduce the pol/moisture content of mill mud by: Identifying key parameters which are associated with difficult to clarify soils; Identifying processes to improve the clarification of poor quality cane; and Identifying a strategy to condition filter cake that is difficult to process. The project seeks to realize its objective by conducting physico-chemical assessment of different soils from cane fields reported to produce juices that are difficult to clarify. Results from the assessment will be used to identify an additive/process that can be used to bring about particle aggregation and improved settling of the floc particles. Permeability and compressibility parameters of mud cake obtained from the difficult to clarify soils will be conducted using a custom-built laboratory mud cake former.Item Biomass characterisation facility for extended stockpile model accuracy and capability: final report project 2011/049(Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2015) Hobson, P; Plaza, FTwo issues critical to the design and operation of stockpiles are prevention of spontaneous combustion and minimisation of loss of heating value due to deterioration. There are currently few tools available to the industry to ensure optimum management of stockpiles. The project has delivered experimental means, data and model refinements necessary to advance the capabilities of an existing model towards being a practical stockpile design and management tool for the industry. The project has developed, from scratch, three sets of equipment to measure four important bagasse material behaviours relevant to bagasse degradation and spontaneous combustion. They are: 1. A permeability and diffusivity measuring test rig that reproduces the layered bagasse structure formed when a stockpile is built and compacted by the tracks of a bulldozer in a co-generation scenario. It has been shown that the permeability of the bagasse in the vertical direction is quite different to that along the horizontal direction. This is important since the ability of oxygen to move into the stockpile has a significant effect in the reactions occurring in the bagasse and its subsequent deterioration. 2. A large sample size calorimeter that is likely to be more representative of the behaviour of a bagasse stockpile compared to previously available equipment (many kg versus less than 20 g) to measure the heating behaviour of bagasse. 3. A degradation measuring rig was built in an incubator with the capability of measuring the behaviour of six bagasse samples simultaneously. By measuring for example the quantity of carbon dioxide given off, the percentage loss of combustible matter and fuel heating value were determined.