UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF RECYCLE WITHIN

THE FLOUR MILLING BREAK SYSTEM

SITI MAZLINA MUSTAPA KAMAL.

TLN 2006 42
EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF RECYCLE
WITHIN THE FLOUR MILLING BREAK SYSTEM

A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
In the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science

SIT1 MAZLINA MUSTAPA KAMAL

SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND ANALYTICAL

SCIENCE
 LIST OF CONTENTS

Title Page
List Of Contents
List Of Figures
List Of Tables
Glossary Of Terms
Nomenclature
Abstract
Declaration
Copyright Statement
Acknowledgement

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Context Of The Project
1.2 The Flour Milling Process
1.3 Overview Of Flour Milling Processes: Past, Present and Future
1.4 A Proposal For Recycle Within The Break System
1.5 Scope Of The Thesis

CHAPTER 2 UNDERSTANDING WHEAT, PARTICLE

TECHNOLOGY AND MILLING PERFORMANCE
Introduction
Understanding The Wheat Grain
Moisture Content And Conditioning
Ash Content - Principle of Quality
Major Equipment In The Flour Milling Process
Particle Technology In Relation To Flour Milling
Some Of The Main Factors Affecting Roller Milling Performance
Relation Of Input And Output Of Particle Size Distributions From
A Roller Milling Operation
Summary
CHAPTER 3 REVIEW OF FLOUR MILL DESIGN AND THE SCOPE 59
OF RECYCLE WITHIN PROCESS
Introduction
Flour Mill Design
Economics Of Flour Milling
The Potential For Recycle Within The Break System
Summary

CHAPTER 4 MATERIAL AND METHODS

Introduction
Main Equipment Used
Materials Preparation
Methods Employed
Summary

CHAPTER 5 STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF RECYCLE ON SECOND 87

BREAK GRINDING PERFORMANCE
Introduction
Grinding Performance At Second Break
Grinding Performance At Second Break With Recycle
General Discussion
Summary and Conclusions

CHAPTER 6 GRINDING PERFORMANCE ON RECYCLE SYSTEM 123

6.1 Introduction 123
6.2 Recycle Performance Up To 7 Regrinds 123
6.3 Analysis Of Particle Size 133
6.4 Estimation of The Output Particle Size Distribution Based On 140
Cumulative Results
6.5 General Discussion
6.6 Summary and Conclusions
CHAPTER 7 DEVELOPING A FLOWSHEET FOR RECYCLE
WITHIN THE BREAK SYSTEMS
Introduction
Flow Sheet And Description Of The Proposed Recycle Circuit
Comparison With The Conventional Process Flow Sheet
General Discussion
Summary and Conclusions

CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary And Conclusions Of Work
Recommendations For Further Studies

REFERENCES
APPENDIX A: Raw Data
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

1.1 Simplified block diagram of a modem Flour Milling Process 20
1.2 Typical sizing mill flow sheet. All flour and wheat feed streams 22
have been omitted for simplification purposes
Recycle mill flow sheet exploiting every process opportunity. AA,
BB, CC, DD are reduction rolls with the other rolls being break
rolls.
Action of fluted break rolls on wheat grains
Simplified flow diagram of a conventional break system
A block diagram of the proposed break system with recycle stream
Structure of wheat grain in longitudinal
Structure of the wheat grain cross section view
Roller mill
Break rolls
Typical flute profile dispositions - Dull to Dull and Sharp to Sharp
Schematic of a sifter
Schematic of a purifier
Sieve and particle
Particle size distribution (a) differential analysis (b) cumulative
analysis
Outlined of the research work
Satake STR 100 Roller Mill
Simon Laboratory Plansifter
Buhler MLU-302 Impact Mill
Laboratory Oven (GP)
Flow path of the wheat preparation before milling
Wheat conditioning mixer
Image of the particle size above 2000 pm captured by digital
camera
Image of one particle with selected point measurement
Cumulative particle size distribution for experimental results at
three different feed fractions, milled through roll gap 0.2 mm for
Second Break
Comparison between experimental (symbols) and predicted (lines)
cumulative size distributions for feed milled through roll gap 0.1
to 0.2 mm.
Particle size distribution with 3 different roll gap (1)Inlet particle
size >2.36 pm (2)Inlet particle size >2.18 pm and (3) Inlet
particle size >2.00 pm
Weight percentage of second break at roll gap 0.2 and 0.3 mm
Ash content of second break at roll gap 0.2 and 0.3 mm
Schematic of the experimental grinding sequence. The same pair
of rolls was employed in second break and recycle successive
stream.
Block diagram for second break and recycle grinding process
Diagram showing separation from the sieve trays arrangements
Effect of moisture on particle size distribution produced from
Second Break and Recycled Stocks at RD2.5 (1) 16% (2) 17% (3)
18%
Effect of moisture content on grinding performance with roll 102
speed differential ratio 2.5; (1) The coarse fraction oversize 2000
pm (2) The fraction through 2 12 pm
Ash content of size fractions for Second Break and Recycle 106
grinding system at roll differential ratio 2.5 (1) 16% (2) 17% and
(3) 18% Moisture content
Ash content for recycle grinding system at three series of moisture 107
content (1) The coarse fraction oversize 2000 pm (2)The fraction
through 2 12 pm
Effect of roll differential ratio on particle size distribution from
Second Break and Recycled (At Moisture Content 16%) (I) RD
2.0 (11) RD 2.5 (111) RD 3.0
Effect of roll differential on grinding performance with moisture 112
content 16% (1) The coarse fraction oversize 2000 pm (2) The
fraction through 212 pm
Ash content of size fractions for Second Break and Recycle
grinding at moisture content 16%;(1) RD 2.0 (2) RD 2.5 (3) RD 3.0
Ash content for recycle grinding system at three roll differential (1)
Fraction over 2000 pm (2) Fractions passes through 2 12 pm sieve
Particle size distribution produced from Second Break and
Recycles for Mallacca wheat type (1) Bar chart (2) Line chart
Particle size distribution produced from Second Break and
Recycles for mixture type wheat (English and Canadian) (1) Bar
chart (2) Line chart
Block diagram for second break and recycle grinding process up to
7 regrind
Ash content of particle classes above 1 180 pm for Mallacca type
Ash content of particle classes through 1 180 pm for Mallacca type
Starch content in particle size over 2000 pm
Influence of sample size on quality of data for cumulative particle
size distribution
Distribution of the particle size at First Break
Distribution of the particle size at Second Break
Distribution number of particle for all grinding
Cumulative weight percentage undersize up to 2000 micron sieve
--RD 2.0.
Cumulative weight percentage undersize up to 2000 micron sieve
-RD 2.5.
Cumulative weight percentage undersize up to 2000 micron sieve
- RD 3.0
Coefficients a, for three roll differential
Coefficient, b for three roll differential
Coefficient, c for three roll differential
Fitted (lines) and experimental (symbols) cumulative output
particle size distribution up to three recycle grindings for roll
differential 2.0: 1
Fitted (lines) and experimental (symbols) cumulative output
particle size distribution up to three recycle grindings for roll
differential 2.5: 1
Fitted (lines) and experimental (symbols) cumulative output
particle size distribution up to three recycle grindings for roll
differential 3 .O: 1
Normal closed circuit
Closed circuit with purge system
Flow sheet for recycle process at break system
Flow diagram at first break and sifter
Flow diagram at second break and recycle grinding process
Flow diagram at third break, sifter and bran finisher
Diagram showing separation from the sieve trays arrangements at
first sifter
Simple block diagram for second break and recycle grinding
process
Ash Content of Size Fractions for Recycle Grinding Process
Flow sheet for Conventional process at Break system
 LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

STR- 100 Manufacturers Specifications 72
STR- 100 Range of variables 73
GP Oven specifications 74
Basic Satake experiment roller mill setting 80
Sieve stack aperture range 80
Example of the data that appeared automatically on the worksheet 84
The Input Particle Size 88
Sieve analysis of roller mill output from separate feed fractions as 90
defined in Table 5.1
Roll setting and specifications for the milling experiment at 16%,
17% and 18% moisture content
Break release by recycle process for the entire moisture content 99
Summary of findings from laboratory experiment for recycle 104
grinding system at different moisture content, showing relative
characteristics of material collected in different stream
Roll setting and specifications for the milling experiment at roll
differential ratio 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0
Break release by recycle process for the entire roll differential
Percentage change in various stream properties between second
and third recycle
Ash Percentage for size >2000 pm and 2 12 pm for Mallacca and
mixture type
Average diameter at 50% particles
Cumulative number of particle size range for Mallacca and
Mixture type at First Break
Cumulative number of particle size range for Mallacca and
Mixture type at Second Break
Cumulative number of particle size range for all grinding (Mixture
type>
Value of a, b, c and r2 at RD 2.0
Value of a, b, c and r2 at RD 2.5
Value of a, b, c and r2 at RD 3.0
Nine coefficients of recycle output particle size distribution at RD
2.0
Nine coefficients recycle output particle size distribution at RD 2.5
Nine coefficients recycle output particle size distribution at RD 3.0
Particle Size through 1 180 pm
Third sifter classification
Roll setting and specifications for the milling experiment at first
section
Particle size class for First Break at Break system incorporating
with Recycle Circuit
Particle Size class (in weight percentage) for Second Break and
Recycle at Break system incorporating with Recycle Circuit
Particle in weight percentage for the purifier at Second Break and
Recycle System
Particle Size class (in weight percentage) for Third Break at Break
system incorporating with Recycle Circuit
Particle Size class (in weight percentage) for the bran finisher at
Third Break system
Description of stream line in conventional process
 GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Bran: The outer protective layers of the wheat berry.

Bran finisher: Forced sieving machine.
Break system: Section of milling process that separates bran and endosperm
using fluted rolls.
Breakage equation: The mathematical relationship between the inlet and outlet
particle size distribution.
Breakage function: The size distribution of particles produced on breakage.
Break release: As the percentages of stocks released at each break stage and
sieved through a known sieve aperture, they are then sent to
purification or reduction system.

Buhler mills: An industry standard for the laboratory milling of wheat

Comminution: A generic term for size reduction
Conditioning: The preparation of wheat for milling through advance
moisture addition.
Debranning: The process of removing the outer bran layers from the wheat
berry.
Differential: The difference in rotation speeds of the rolls comprising roller
mills.
Endosperm: The starchy interior of the wheat berry.
Extraction: The amount of material extracted from the raw material, e.g.
white flour extraction from wheat.
Fluted rolls: Refers to the rolls employed in the break system that are
finished with a saw tooth profile.
Germ: The embryo part of the wheat berry.
Gradual reduction The processing strategy used to process wheat into flour.
system:
Granulation: The particle size distribution of a stock.
Middlings: The mill stock between semolina and flour in particle size.
Moisture content: The percentage of water in grain or products.
NABIM : National Association of British and Irish Millers.
The representative organisation for the UK flour milling
industry.
Nip: The area between the rolls where a product is ground
Plansifter: An industrial scale sieving machine used in the flour milling
industry.
Purification system: Section of milling process that separates bran and endosperm
using sieves and air currents.
Reduction system: Section of milling process that separates bran and endosperm
using smooth rolls and generates starch damage.
Roll gap: The distance between grinding rolls at their closest point.
Patent: The top grade flours.

Scalping: A term applied to the specific removal of the coarsest fraction

separated by a sifter.
Semolina: The term used to describe the coarse endosperm material
produced at all stages during the milling process. It is too
coarse to be considered as flour and must be further size
reduced.
Sizing system: Section of milling process that separates bran and endosperm
using fluted rolls. Differs from break system in the particle
size of materials dealt with and their endosperm content.
Stock: Term used to refer to intermediate materials within the
process.
Tail end: Term used to refer to the later stages of the milling process.
Wheat feed: The co-product of flour milling.
Wholemeal: Whole wheat flour.
Yield: The term used in the mill that means the mass percentage of
flour produced from the wheat grain.
 NOMENCLATURE

Quadratic coefficients .
Recycle breakage coefficients.
Recycle breakage coefficients.
Recycle breakage coefficients.
Element of breakage matrix.
Breakage matrix.
Breakage function, function of material of size x formed from the
breakage of particle of size D.
Inlet particle size, grain thickness.
Sieve size.
Diameter of the particle.
Feed vector.
Cumulative amount less than particle size in the feed stream.
Unit matrix.
Grinding capacity
Outlet particle size vector.
Cumulative amount less than particle size in the outlet stream.
Cumulative outlet of particle size distribution for particle size smaller
than x.
Probability recycle density function of particle size x produced from the
breakage particle at given recycle grinding,R.
Probability recycle density function of broken products from the
breakage of the given inlet particle size at given recycle grinding.
Probability density function for feed particles of size D.
Probability density function of the outlet of size x.
Probability of producing an outlet particle size x from an inlet particle
of size D.
Selection matrix.
Dimensionless selection function of particles of size D.
Sieve aperture size.
 ABSTRACT

EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF RECYCLE

WITHIN THE FLOUR MILLING BREAK SYSTEM

A typical flour milling process is a very linear operation that is almost entirely void of
recycle streams where separate fractions from each operation go ahead as new streams
to the next operation. In some cases, there are opportunities for combining some
streams, for recycling particles that have been insufficiently broken to go back to the
same roller mill. This thesis introduces this recycle concept in flour milling process
mainly at the early stage of the process (break system).

The effects of some of the main grinding parameters were studied in order to determine
the optimum place at which to start the recycle grinding at break system. The
parameters that had been investigated were roll gap, roll differential and moisture
content of the raw material. The effects of these parameters were examined in terms of
their changes in weight percentages (or particle size distribution), break release and ash
contents. It was found that a narrower roll gap did not cause any differences in particle
size distribution at second break. However, varying moisture content and roll
differential, have significant effects on particle size distribution, break release and ash
content.

The principle of recycle grinding at break system was studied in greater depth using the
optimum value that was obtained in the first part of this study. The chosen values were
16% moisture content and 2.5 roll differential. The performance for each recycle stage
was investigated. Analysis on the feed particle size was also performed and this analysis
was limited to physical characteristics using an image analysis technique. It was
determined that it is possible for some coarse particles that contain only bran to keep
being recycled in the recycle circuit. A purging operation was recommended to be
included in the recycle system, t o separate the unwanted particles. The suitable
equipment to perform such an operation could be a purifier. Estimations of the
cumulative output particle size distribution from recycle grinding were also presented
and were confirmed with the results o f experiment.

A flow sheet for recycle at second break system was constructed and such a system was
tested in the laboratory. The results obtained from the experiments in the laboratory
confirmed that the quality of break flour was good and in acceptable range. It was
concluded that the recycle grinding process is successful and potentially produced the
target production without compromising the quality. The recycle grinding process also
potentially reduces the number of unit operations used in the break system.

Siti Mazlina PhD October 2006

 DECLARATION
No portion of the work referred to in the thesis has been submitted in support of an
application for another degree or qualification to this or any other university, or other
institution of learning.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
Copyright in text of this thesis rests with the Author. Copies (by any
process) either full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with
instructions given by the Author and lodged in the John Rylands University
Library of Manchester. Details may be obtained from the Librarian. This
page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any
process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be
made without the permission (in writing) of the Author.

(ii) The ownership of any intellectual property rights which may be described in
this thesis is vested in The University of Manchester, subject to any prior
agreement to the contrary, and may not be made available for use by third
parties without the written permission of the University, which will prescribe
the terms and conditions o f any such agreement.

(iii) Further information on the conditions under which disclosures and

exploitation may take place is available from the Head of School of
Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Colin Webb, for his guidance and
support during the course of this considerable project.

I would like to express my appreciation to the most important people in my life, my

family. Thank you for always supporting me in every sense. In particular, my husband
(Mohd Irwan Abdol), my mum (Aminah Ahmad), my dad (Mustapa Kamal), my son
(Afif Akmal) and daughter (Afrina Ayu), you've always been there for me.

Many thanks also to my friends, staff and students of the Satake Centre for Grain
Process Engineering.
 CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT

Flour milling is the process by which wheat is ground into fine particles and through
which the wheat grain is separated into its constituent parts: bran, germ and endosperm.
The germ and bran are largely discarded while the endosperm is then further reduced
into the fine powder that we call flour.

Flour is a versatile and valuable food source that contains nutrients including vitamins.
The best known use for flour is for making bread, but it also an important ingredient in
biscuits, cakes, pies and much more. In the UK the majority of flour sold is white (Kent
and Evers, 1994). This means it consists almost entirely of endosperm. In recent years,
more than 50% of the total UK flour production was white flour which was used for
breadmaking (NABIM, 2006).This percentage is expected to rise further in the coming
years.

This research work is part of an ongoing aim to improve the flour milling process by
introducing an engineering concept. A typical concept in an engineering process is to
incorporate processes with a recycle circuit. Thus, the program of this thesis is to
introduce this recycle concept into the flour milling process. It is expected that
introducing this concept will reduce the number of steps in a typical flour milling
process. Details of the program will be discussed thoroughly throughout this chapter.

1.2 THE FLOUR MILLING PROCESS

Flour milling can be characterized a s a process industry because it turns a raw material
(wheat) into a range of end products (flours) that are available for human consumption
through a series of unit operations on large scale and on a continuous basis.

A flour milling process is a continuous process to convert wheat into various grades of
flour and/or sub-products. The process is composed of various processing units such as
grinding (roll machines), sieving (sifters) and purifying (purifiers). The process causes
 CHAPTER ONE

changes to the properties of the wheat through the 'gradual reduction system'. The
gradual reduction system is the process of taking the whole wheat through a series of
processing stages that enables the production of flours with low ash content and high
yield'.

In conventional flour milling, the structure of the process and flow of the material
streams are arranged in a very linear way (containing only inlet and outlet streams) and
have very few combined streams. As a result, the milling process involves many unit
operations. This is where process engineers can be involved in improving the flour
milling process, to reduce the number of operations, as there are likely to be streams
that could be combined or recycled.

1.3 OVERVIEW OF FLOUR MILLING PROCESSES: PAST,

PRESENT AND FUTURE
Traditionally wheat was ground between stones or in crude mortars with pestles. In the
early days these were powered by men or animals. Later the Romans developed the
milling process using wheels powered by running water. Then, windmills were
introduced in the twelfth century, and steam power became available in the eighteenth
century (NABIM 1988). Nowadays, electricity is the primary source of power in flour
milling.

In early stone grinding, the grain was probably passed between the stones once and the
bran was separated from the flour by sieving. The production of flour in this way was
satisfactory for some wheat while for other wheat it tended to produce dark flour.
However, the process remained common into the nineteenth century and can be
classified as 'low grinding'. Then, efforts were made in France and Hungary to
overcome this problem. Wheat was ground 'high'; it was passed several times through
grindstones set successively closer. Early types of process units that were effectively
purifiers appeared and after each grinding flour was separated by sieving. This early
form of gradual reduction improved flour colour (NABIM 1988).

'yield as used in the mill means the mass percentage of flour produced from the wheat gram
 CHAPTER ONE

Traditional flat stone milling was revolutionised in the late nineteenth century with the
introduction of cylindrical rollers instead of the flat stone discs. The man who
revolutionized the flour milling industry in the UK was Henry Simon. He was an
engineer and pioneer of an innovative flour milling process, a 'gradual reduction
system' that would replace the inefficient grindstone (millstone) process. Towards the
end of the nineteenth century, the roller mill was invented and introduced in the milling
industry in Austria and Hungary (NABIM 1988; Wilson 1999; Dobraszczyk 2001). This
early type of roll mill was made from porcelain. Nowadays rolls are made of cast iron.
Henry Simon created the gradual reduction system using this roller mill in the late
1870s, and it is still being used in flour mills today (Wilson 1999).

With these newer technologies (gradual reduction system), the flours produced were
whiter and of higher quality than those produced using stone grinding. The older
grindstone processes produced crude and typically only 10% high quality flour from the
wheat berry compared to more than 70% high quality flour in roller milling plants
(Owens 2001, Webb and Owens 2003). The flour produced by the older method was
heavily contaminated with bran and germ. In comparison, using roller mills produces
less bran powder because the grinding path through a pair of rollers is far shorter than
the path between grindstones. There are also several stages of rolling in the gradual
reduction system between which the wheat feed can be sifted out to minimise the bran
powder produced. Small fragments of bran and germ are also elongated using smooth
rolls, making them easier to separate.

The most common format for a modem flour milling process can be represented by a
simple block diagram as shown in Figure 1.1. The inlet (raw material) of the process is
the wheat whereas the outlets are flour as the main product, and bran and germ as the
by-products. Thus, the target of flour production in the flour milling process discussed
in this thesis is based on the production of white flour. White flour is obtained by
extracting a maximum amount of endosperm from wheat as pure as possible.

Before the milling process begins the wheat needs to be properly cleaned and
conditioned. Wheat is cleaned to remove all foreign materials using differences in size,
specific gravity, shape, air resistance, etc (Posner and Hibbs, 1997; Sugden 2001). This
is followed by a conditioning process that ensures uniform grain moisture content
 CHAPTER ONE

throughout each grain. This process helps to soften the endosperm and toughen the bran,
and this improves the separation process.

Cleaning
(Remove coarse impurities
and other fine material)

Conditioning
(Moistens the wheat, to soften
endosperm and toughen bran)

I Break rolls F-.-

-
A series of fluted
rolls to break open place after
wheat to release each break
endosperm.
I _ - ;
I
Sieving I

Purification System
(Removing bran contamination)

Reduction
rolls
A series of smooth
rolls to produce each reduction
roll.
finer and finer
I Sieving '1
White
Bran Germ Flour

Figure 1.1: Simplified block diagram of a modern Flour Milling Process

 CHAPTER ONE

In the flour milling process, there are three main stages that are the break system, the
purification system and the reduction system.

The break system is used to open the wheat grain and to scrape endosperm from the
bran, step by step, by sequential passages. The system comprises pairs of roller mills
with counter-rotating opposed rollers whose surfaces have saw-tooth (corrugated or
fluted) profiles which progressively break the wheat. The rolls run at a certain speed
differential2 towards each other with a small gap between them. The top roller runs at a
slightly faster rate than the lower roller. A typical roll differential used in break
passages is 2.5: 1 (Sugden 1998a).

The break system operates continuously, and after each grinding the ground stock is
separated on sieves, whereby each break passage produces a certain amount of flour,
which contributes to the final total yield. The intermediate stocks, 'semo~ina'~and
'middlings'4, are passed to the purification system where this material represents the
bulk of the endosperm with some branny contamination. The coarsest fraction that
overtails (remains on) the aperture sieve is fed to the next break roll and so on until the
final break roll. Typically, this pattern is repeated for four or five breaks (Hoseney
1992; Sugden 2000), each pair of break rolls being more finely set than the preceding
pair.

The second part of the milling process is the purification system. The main purpose of
purification is to separate the outer branny material from inner white endosperm. The
feedstock of the purification system comes from the break system. The aim of this
purification system is to purify the milling material, not to produce flour.

The third system in the milling process is the reduction system. The aims of the
reduction system are to grind the central material of the wheat grain (the endosperm)
into flour of the desired fineness and to damage the bran and germ particles as little as
possible. It consists of a series of smooth reduction rolls and sifters for separating
various particles sizes until they are fine enough to be considered as flour. Roller mills

Differential is the difference in rotation speeds o f the rolls comprising roller mills.
' Semolina is coarse particles of starchy endospem (pure or contaminated with bran and germ).
Middlings is the mill stock between semolina and flour in particle size.
 CHAPTER ONE

employed throughout the reduction system apply lower differential ratios, typically
1.25:l (Stevens 1977; Scanlon 1986, Sugden 1998~).This is to ensure that feedstock is
drawn through the nip5 of the rolls rather than held up to pass through.

The reduction system produces most of the total flour from the milling process. When
all the flour streams from the individual reduction stages are bulked with those from the
break system, 'straight-run' flour is produced, this is the yield that represents the
extraction rate.

Figure 1.2 shows an example of a conventional milling process flow sheet. (This mill
flow did not contain purifiers and is known as the sizing system.) Based on the existing
flour milling process there are streams that could be combined or recycled. New process
strategies can be applied in the present flour milling process by developing and
introducing such recycle circuits in the process. The flour milling process is categorised
as a process industry, and typically in a process plant there are recycle streams present.

Figure 1.2: Typical Sizing mill flow sheet. All flour and wheat feed streams have
been omitted for simplification purposes. (Owens, 2000)

Nip is the area between the rolls where a product is ground.

 CHAPTER ONE

Recently, development on existing flour milling has been suggested by Owens (2000)
who developed a recycle-based flow sheet that incorporates recycling. He has simplified
the flow sheet at Figure 1.2 by introducing recycling at every opportunity and this
recycle-based flow sheet is illustrated in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3: Recycle mill flow sheet exploiting every process opportunity. AA, BB, CC,
DD are reduction rolls with the other rolls being break rolls. (Owens, 2000)

Owens (2000) also performed some preliminary studies (introducing recycling in certain
streams to the flour milling process) and has shown that benefits can be gained from
recycling, but he was unable to see in greater scope. It might be possible by introducing
the recycle system to make significant improvements in the flour milling process. Fewer
unit operations would be expected in the process. This also means less energy would be
used and operating costs could be reduced. With a recycle system, the milling process
could be more efficient, less energy wasting and more economical.

Further investigations at theoretical and experimental level are needed to test and
evaluate this new process strategy. More application trials are needed to assess all the
possibilities raised. Extensive laboratory trials would increase the confidence level of
 CHAPTER ONE

the millers (industry) in accepting the new concept. Therefore, this study was carried
out to explore the role of recycle streams in the process in greater scope.

1.4 A PROPOSAL FOR RECYCLE WITHIN THE BREAK

SYSTEM
The aims of flour milling are to obtain high yield and quality end products with low
losses. Besides, flour milling must be cost-effective and efficient. Therefore, the milling
process should compromise between efficiency, yield and costs. By introducing the
recycle flow in the system, this could be improved.

One part of the flour milling process that could be improved is the break system.
Research on this area could bring real benefit, as the break system is the beginning of
the milling process. The extraction rate of flour depends on the amount of endosperm
released at each stage of the break system, and is normally expressed as the percentage
of the material entering each stage of the break system which passes to the reduction
system rather than the next break, known as break release.

In a typical conventional milling process in the UK, there are four or five break
passages in the break system, depending on the production of the particular plant. The
main equipment that normally exists in the break system includes break rolls, sifters and
bran finishers.

The aim of the break system is to achieve maximum release of endosperm particles as
semolina and middlings with minimal disintegration of the wheat skin or bran. The
objective of the first break rolls is t o shear open the wheat grain (having been cleaned
and tempered prior to feed) and scrape away the endosperm from the bran skin. At this
stage, the endosperm is more in the form of chunks with very little of flour fineness.

In the first break the feed particles are whole grains. Wheat grain is fed in a thin curtain
to the gap between the first break rolls, which are relatively coarsely fluted (51cm) and
widely spaced (0.5mm) (Stevens 1977). Figure 1.4 shows the action of fluted break rolls
on wheat grains. The ground material leaving a break roll is known as 'break chop'
(Bass 1988). The 'break chop' is graded for wide ranges of particle size on the sieve,