DESIGN OF CRYSTALLIZER

The massecuite when discharged from vacuum pan is at high super saturation. If it is allowed to stand the sugar still contained in the mother liquor will continue to deposit as crystals but this masscicuite is very dense and the mother liquor is very viscous. Crystallisation will soon cease if the masscicuite is left undisturbed because the layer of mother liquor surrounding the crystals will be repeatedly exhausted and the viscosity of mass will prevent the more distant molecules of sugar from coming in contact with liquor crystals. Thus crystallisation is the process which consists of mixing the masscicuite for a certain period of time after dropping it from the vacuum pan and before passing to centrifuges which aim at completing the formation of crystals and forcing further exhaustion of mother liquor. Assuming werkspoor crystalliser This is continuous type of crystalliser. The hot masscicuite enters from one side and leaves at the other end it consists of an open container either of u-shaped or bottle shaped having a revolving and circulating system with shallow drum of large cross section area tom which are riveted a no. of cooling pockets. The pockets are cupped with certain type of pipe connection inside the central drum and through them cooling water circulate. The cooling water circulates in counter current action to the masscicuite. A uniform fall in temperature is reported. MECHANISM OF CRYSTALLIZATION Nucleation: the rate of new crystals formation per unit time per unit volume of magma. Primary nucleation is the basic phenomena during which small crystals of sugar will start forming within a super saturated homogenous existing phase . this is a state of meta stable equilibrium phase known as homogenous nucleation. Cluster: when atoms during hydrated state stick together due to random motion to give aggregated particles. Embryo: starting of formation of lattice structure. Nucleus: embryo grows more crystals join together they form crystals.

Secondary nucleation: the formation of nuclei attributable to the influence of the existing massecuite crystals in the magma is called secondary nucleation. Secondary nucleation is of two types: Contact nucleation it is proportional to the first power of super saturation. The energy at which a crystal must stick is amazingly small. Fluid shear nucleation: in this type of nucleation, super saturation moves over the surface of growing crystals at certain velocity, the shear stress in the boundary layer may sweep the nuclei to form new crystals.

DESIGN CALCULATIONS FOR a werkspoor crystalliser and 3 massecuite double magma system and obtaining 4.5 cuft/tc of A massecuite. Amount of massecuite to be treated = 4.5*.028317*208.33=26.55 cum /hr.after addition of massecuite to molasses amount of massecuite increases to V = 26.55*1.15 =30.53 cum /hr. Quantity of water required for cooling [ ]

Where = coefficient taking into account cooling of slurry, 1.15-1.2 v = volume of slurry d = density of slurry =1.5 C = specific heat = .44 T = inlet temp of feed = 720 C T0 =outlet temp of feed = 420 C t = temp of cooling water = 300 C t0 = temp of outlet cooling water = 540 C W = 1-15*26.55*1.5*0.44*[42-72/30-54]=25.2 cu m/hr= 25200 kg/hr It is seen that the volume of water required (25.2 cu m/hr) is roughly equal to the amount of massecuite to be cooled. Using the formula for evaluating cooling surface area required for crystallisation [(
) ( )

60*1.15*26.55*(41/12)*[167-104/(107-122)-(104-77)]ln(44/17) =125.914 sq. m. Taking capacity of crystallizer = 1.5V= 1.5*30.53= 45.79 cu m But C =(/8)*D2 *L L= 3.5 D 45.79 = (3.14/8)*3.5*D3 Dia of crystallizer = D =3.22 m

Now theoretical volume is given by U = 0.3927* D2 = 4.07 sq. m. L =45.79/4.07 = 11.25 m Cooling surface area of 1 disc S = (1+.03D)*D2 D = outer dia. D = Inner dia. No. Of discs required = Total surface area /area of one disc =125.914/11.16 = 11.2 But no. of discs in crystallizer are to be odd. Take no. of discs n = 13 Actual area = 13*s = 13*11.16 = 145.08 Calculation of average spacing between the discs ( )

P = no of bearings in crystallizer n = no of discs Assuming no. Of bearings i.e. P=1 ( )

Spacing between the discs = 0.73 m Cooling time for massecuite = 90 minutes.