2015   

 
OPERATION  MANUAL  
FOR VERTICAL TWIN 
CRYSTALLIZERS   
 
 
 

SUPPLIED BY : Global Canesugar Services Pvt. Ltd.

TDI Center ,4th Floor,Jasola District,
New Delhi – 110025
: www.globalcansugar.com

INSTTALED AT : Sagay Central Incorporated

Capitol Subdivision Building, Lacson
Street, Bacolod, 6100 Negros Occidental,
Philippines 

 
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CRYSTALLIZATION PROCESS DESCRIPTION:

After certain stage the rate of crystallization in pans becomes very slow, thus
further exhaustion of mother liquor in pan is not affordable. This residual
exhaustion to some extent is done in crystallizers. This process is also known
as crystallization in motion. Crystallizers are simply a holding vessels, having
stirring elements moving at a very slow rpm. Stirrer is rotated either through,
worm and worm wheel coupled with reduction gear and motor, or through
planetary type gears, with integral motor. Depending up on usage, crystallizers
are classified as :
 Seed crystallizers
 Vacuum crystallizers
 Receiving crystallizers
 Air cooled crystallizers
 Water cooled crystallizers
 Horizontal continuous crystallizers
 Twin Vertical continuous crystallizers

ADVANTAGES OF VERTICAL CRYSTALLISER

1. They have a smaller foot print

2. VCC do not require any steel structure, it can be placed on ground floor
on a civil structure
3. They are suitable for outdoor installation
4. There is no shaft gland hence no leakage
5. They are cheaper to install as compared to batch crystallizer for the
similar capacity
6. Power saving is considerable being one drive for larger capacity
7. But a liquidation pump is required to liquidate the crystallizer

COOLING RANGE
Best temperature to cool the C massecuite upto 42 0C, before the reheating of
the massecuite to increase the fluidity for easy flow to the gutters and
centrifugals and also to reduce the viscosity for easy crystal separation.

 
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Normally the dropping temperature of the massecuite is 60-700C. 120C cooling
is possible due to air cooling in the Receiver and Ripening zone. The solubility
of sucrose decreases as the temperature is reduced but fluidity and mother
liquor resistance for the sucrose molecule transfer to crystal surface becomes a
limiting factor.
Several study has shown that below 420C, no appreciable advantage is
possible.

TWIN VERTICAL CONTINUOUS CRYSTALLIZERS CONSTRUCTION

Twin type CVC which will have two identical shell connected at the bottom
through jacketed pipe to transfer the Massecuite from first crystallizer to
second crystallizer at the bottom. Basic requirement of a CVC is plug flow of
the Massecuite which is achieved in twine type CVC as compared to Mono CVC
due to increase travel length of the Massecuite. In twine type CVC we can
create maturing zone, cooling zone and if required heating zone also which is
not possible in mono CVC.

Also in Mono CVC the travel of Massecuite in riser pipe is difficult when the
Massecuite is cooled and heating of the Massecuite in riser pipe is less effective
and somewhat excessive heating in the periphery creates crystal dissolution.

So for higher capacities it is always better to install Twine CVC because

operational advantages and we have selected the same.

The system is consists of cold water cooling and circulation system and hot
water circulation system in case it is required after long shutdowns. Cold water
circuit will also have a cooling tower so that the same water will be circulated.

The cooling and heating loop will be in such a way that we create maturation
zone, cooling zone and again maturation zone in the crystallizer to get the
maximum exhaustion.

Heating circuit will be used when the plant will be started after shut down and
Massecuite is excessively cooled due to long storage, to avoid any delay start of
the centrifugal station and unnecessary heating.

 
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SPECIFICATION FOR VERTICAL CRYSTALLIZER AND SCOPE

Type : Twin Vertical

Capacity each shell : 200 tons

Capacity total : 400 tons

Ratio of cooling Area to Volume : 2:1

Total Surface Area : 547 M 2

Effective Volume : 267 M 3.

Inside diameter of Crystallizer’s shell : 3500 mm

Maximum height of Crystallizer’s shell : 17500 mm

GENERAL ARRANGEMENT:-

The twin type Vertical Crystallizer shall consist of 2 bodies fabricated out of
mild steel IS 2062 plates. The both cylindrical shell having conical bottom shall
connected through a cylindrical jacked pipe jacketed for circulation of hot
water. The top of 2nd body will be fitted with a slide gate arrangement and a
spindle for Massecuite outlet. The top of cylindrical bodies shall be covered by
M.S. plate of 8 mm thick duly reinforced.

The cooling/heating surface shall arranged in the form of coils arranged one
over the other and connected with each other with flanged bends. The Coils
shall be arranged in such a way that short circuiting will not take place. The

Cylindrical portion as well as bottom cones of each vessel shall be provided

with 500 mm dia manhole with cover. A suitable gradient is provided for
enhancing the massecuite flow from cell 1 to cell 2.

 
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OPERATION PROCEDURE
 Check there should be no foreign material inside the crystallizers, no
arms ,paddle, ribbon is distorted or damaged ,
 Check lubricant level in gear box, and lubrication of gearing system
 Ensure to rotate stirrer manually just to ensure it is moving freely for
complete one rotation.
 Switch on the drive and observe its rotation, to ensure its rotation in
correct direction
 After ensuring that drive is moving in right direction without any
obstruction. Start the C massecuite pump of receiving crystallizer
 Clean dropping gutter and valve, by scrapping residual massecuite, and
let it to go in same crystallizer.
 For discharging massecuite, from crystallizer, open discharge valve
partially.
 Clean its mouth with crow bar if required
 During liquidation of vertical crystallizer , C massecuite is to be
pumped from the bottom of Cell no 2
 Once the massecuite is pumped first 3-4 hours no cooling is to be done
which is known as mauring period. After cold water is to be started.
During the last portion just before the outlet, hot water circulation is to
be done only if required to improve the flow characteristics in outlet
gutter. Otherwise this zone is also used as maturing zone.
 Heating of cooled massecuite is done in the last part of the crystallizer
below the overflow depending upon the requirement. If the fluidity and
flow to centrifugals through gutter is not a problem then , heating may
be avoided. IF fluidity and flow is a problem hindering the flow due to
higher viscosity then heating is to be done to improve it
 The reheating of the massecuite is to be done below its saturation
point, which is mostly in between 52-55 0C, afterwards the crystals will
start dissolution. To keep a safe margin 520C is the upper limit of
raising the massecuite temperature

 
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 Heating has to be transient i.e. just the massecuite entering to the
centrifugals so that any chance of crystal dissolution is avoided.
 In cooling zone water flow rate and ∆T should be so adjusted that
cooling rate not go beyond 10C/hr.
 Higher cooling rate promotes false grain formation as due to very high
resistance of mother liquor crystal movement from mother liquor to
existing crystal surface is slow.

PRECAUTIONS
 Ensure stirrer should not move in reverse direction
 There should be no excessive lumps on stirrer elements and walls of
crystallizer, if it is so ,it should be cleaned
 In case of power failure it should be rotated manually and emergency
power back up should be as quick as possible. In case of C massecuite
4-6 hours stirrer stoppage do not make much difference. If it happens
than hot water is circulated throughout the crystallizer to reduce the
viscosity and then stirrer drive is to be restarted.
 If somehow crystallizer stirrer is stopped, its drive switch should never
be directly switched on. It should be first turned manually, and then
should be started by inching movement
 For opening crystallizer mouth discharge valve should be partially
opened to apply crowbar
 From time to time hinges and lever arm of discharge gate valve should
be checked.
 Gearing and gear box of the drive should not run dry.
 Keep on check over amperage of drive; if it is going beyond limit, check
massecuite brix, and if required dilute it with mother liquor.
 Its stirrer drive should not be switched off, for short duration shut
down of crystallizer. For long shut down it should be switched of but
prior to it crystallizer should be scrapped.
 During log shut downs the cold water is to be totally stopped and if the
flow of the massecuite is a problem due to overcooling, start hot water
in all the coils and once the flow is established then again the same
sequence of cooling is to be started.

 
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TROUBLE SHOOTING

S.N. Problem Probable reasons Remedy

1 -Frequent -Mall functioning of -Check and set right
tripping of starter or relay
drive -Excessively higher -Add lubrication mother
brix liquor or reduce cooling.
-Reverse motion -Check direction of rotation
-Misalignment of drive - Set right alignment, if
-Slippage of belt Required
-excessive lumps,/ _ Reheat the massecuite
deposits -Check and set right
- Arrange cleaning
2 -Frequent -Improper positioning - Check and set right
chocking of of stirrer element
Discharge - Excessive lumps in -Arrange cleaning
door crystallizer

TEMPERATURE PROFILE

1. Massecuite dropping temperature - 68-72 0c

2. Cooling during maturisation 10-12 0c
3. Cooling through water circulation 14-16 0c
4. Reheating upto 10-12 0c or below depending upon the fluidity
required for massecuite flow in the discharge gutter ( below
saturation temperature which is mostly around this afterwards crystal
starts dissolution )

 
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VERTICAL CRYSTALLIZER AUTOMATION

The basic idea behind vertical crystallizer automation is to smoothly run the
complete process and maintain temperature of the massecuite as desired so as
to ensure stable seed formation.

Here basic control are the massecuite Temperature control at various stages by
adjusting the cooling and heating water ( or heating stream in some case).

The massecuite from the crystallizer enters the vertical crystallizer where its is
cooled to a predetermined temperature say 45 Deg. C by cooling water coil this
massecuite temperature is sensed by it self cleaning type temperature
transmitter and signal is given to a PID loop to control the temperature wrt
predetermined set point to control the cooling water valve.

Similarly second loop heating/ hot water/ steam valve is controlled to maintain
the heating zone temperature typically 52-55 deg. C hot water tank
temperature is maintained by controlling the steam inlet to heating coil.

Self Cleaning Temperature Sensor : operate on Pneumatic type cylinders which

are coupled to the sensor element. The cylinder pulls the element out this
causes a scraping action which cleans the viscous mass stuck to the sheet .
This is done every hour/ 30 minutes. The pneumatic cylinder gets Air supply
from a solenoid valve.

Specifications of Auto Clean Temperature Measurement System are:

Display 3 ½ Digit Seven segment LED Display

Electronic Timer Output 230VAC for Electrode Solenoid Valve
Enclosure Cast Aluminium Weather proof field mountable
Input RTD
Power Supply ( V ) 230VAC at 50Hz

 
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