Sugar factory audits, debottlenecking and efficiency improvement

This paper elaborates on the key solutions offered by De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC) to optimize the efficiency of cane sugar producing and processing facilities. In order to meet customer needs, DSEC offers proprietary predictive models built using the latest versions of specialized software. These models allow factory managers to envision the whole picture of increased operational and capital efficiency before it becomes reality. An integrated energy model and the CAPEX/OPEX evaluation method are discussed as ways to estimate and optimize costs, both for new greenfield projects and revamping of existing factories. The models demonstrate that factory capacities can be successfully increased using equipment that is already available. Special attention is paid to crystallization and centrifugation process simulations and the potential improvement of the global energy balance. One case study shows the transformation of a beet sugar factory into a refinery to process raw cane sugar after beet crop season and the second case shows the integration of a refinery into a cane sugar factory. The primary focus of the article is optimization of the technological process through predictive modelling. DSEC’s suggested solutions, which lead to great improvements in a plant’s efficiency and its ability to obtain very low energy consumption, are discussed.