SUGAR

INDUSTRY
TECHNOLOGISTS
MEETING
May 9-12, 1999
Estoril, Portugal

S.I.T. Paper # 751

AL KHALEEJ SUGAR
AN ENERGY EFFICIENT REFINERY.

By

Jamal Al Ghurair & G.C. Singh

AL KHALEEJ SUGAR
DUBAI
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

ABSTRACT:
Recently a number of stand-alone refineries have been constructed close to their final
markets in several locations around the world. The Al Khaleej Sugar (AKS) refinery,
located at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was the first refinery to
operate in the Middle East/ Gulf market. Designed in 1992-94, and commissioned in
1995, the refinery has been operating at its design capacity of 100 tonnes melt/hour
since Nov 1997.
The refinery uses a conventional refining process, including carbonation and granular
carbon decolourisation, but also has several innovative plant applications, including
the use of continuous vertical pans for all white massecuite, and vapour bleeding from
evaporators for pan heating.
Important design goals for the refinery included:
The ability to produce high quality refined sugar from the various types and
qualities of raw sugar available on the world market.
Selection of an established process technology for which technical support, skilled
operators, and process chemicals would be readily available.
A modern process control concept, based on a distributed control system, with few
operators and high labour productivity.
Compliance with environmental requirements, particularly in terms of avoiding
sugar loss to the harbour through cooling water or condensates.
Finally, because of the high costs of fuel oil, electricity, and water, there was an
overriding requirement that the refinery would be more energy efficient than
established refineries, which operated at usage levels of about 3500 MJ/tonne melt.
These goals have been largely achieved, with refinery energy consumption while
melting high purity raw sugar typically:
Boiler fuel
Carbon kiln fuel
Purchased Power
Total Energy used

2185 MJ/tonne melt

30
235
2450 MJ/tonne melt.

This paper reviews the plant and process arrangements installed to achieve these
results.

1. INTRODUCTION
The design of a refinery is mainly based on local conditions and each case must be
considered individually. For AKS, besides the cost of primary energy; i.e., fuel and
electricity, water is also important. In the gulf region, fuel is available at international
prices, Electricity is purchased from the local grid supply and water is supplied from
desalination Plant (at the rate of $ 1.8 per Cu.Mt.). Seawater can be used to condense pan
vapours but only if it does not come into direct contact with the vapour. Other design
considerations were that technical support, skilled operators, and process chemicals should
be readily available for the refining process chosen and any environmental requirements
regarding disposal of waste or emissions from the plant had to be met. All of these issues
had to be taken into account in designing and building a stand-alone AKS refinery, which
was both energy and water efficient.
2

2. SELECTION OF PROCESS TECHNOLOGY

2.1 General
The selection of a refining process is simplified where the refinery is attached to a raw sugar
mill, and there are opportunities for better control over the quality of raw sugar supplied to
the refinery. For stand alone refineries such as AKS, the refining process chosen should be
capable of refining the various grades of raw sugar available in international markets at
different times. Due to different milling campaign timings, natural disasters, political and
economic situations in raw sugar exporting countries, a particular type of raw sugar may not
always be available on the world market. At some times there are also opportunities to
purchase special cargoes at low prices. For example, when AKS was being designed in
1992-94,substantial quantities of low pol - high starch and dextran raw sugar were available
at discounted prices.
With these issues in mind, it was decided that the process technology to be used at AKS
would have to be both proven technology and sufficiently robust to be able to produce all
product as EEC No 2 grade white sugar or equivalent when melting raw sugars with
polarisations from 96 up to VHP at 99.2.
The emphasis on proven technology in 1992-94 meant that some emerging technologies
were not considered at that time. If the refinery was being designed in 1999, and then
sufficient hard operating experience might be available to justify consideration of their use.
However, a full comparison of different processes and equipment is outside the scope of this
paper. Instead the paper concentrates on the design approach used for optimisation of steam
and electrical energy consumption, and water and seawater usage.
2.2 METHODOLOGY
2.2.1 Development of Process Design Concept
Proposals from turnkey project suppliers were studied and static simulations of a refinery
were also made using the SUGARS computer program (ref no.1-W.Weiss-91) for different
operating conditions and various refinery configurations.
Overall, a total of sixteen process models were developed, each with a Process flow
diagram, mass balance, heat balance, and water balance.
Each case was studied in detail for processing
- 99.2 o Pol Raw Sugar (VHP): Colour 1000 ICU
- 98.7 o Pol Raw Sugar
: Colour 2500 ICU
o
- 96.0 Pol Raw Sugar
: Colour 6000 ICU
2.2.2 Technical Concept of AKS Refinery
The AKS refinery is designed for processing 100 tons of melt per hour with nominal
production capacity of 700,000 Metric Tons in 330 operating days. Optimisation of the
steam and water balance is critical for AKS because of the need to generate all process
water at site. The overall process flow diagram designed for AKS is given in Figure 1.

The important design features considered for optimization of Steam Energy, Electrical Power, and
Utilities are shown below in Table no. 1
TABLE 1
SECTION

Key Design Features considered for Optimization of

PROCESS & STEAM
ELECTRICAL POWER
WATER /
REMARKS

Affination

Affination run off heating

by Vapours from second
effect Falling Film Evap.
Melting
Melt liquor heating by
of Washed
vapours from second effect
Sugar/ or VHP of Evaporator in vapour
Raw Sugar
melter and Heat Exchanger.
Purification
(Conventional Design)
By
Colour Removal 50 %
Carbonatation

Frequency Controlled
Drive Batch Centrifugals
for purging Aff. Magma

Filtration

PRESSURE LEAF
FILTERS
-Combination of sluicing
type pressure leaf filters as
well as fully automatic self
mud discharging pressure
filter (see ref no.2-SIT 93)
MUD DESWEETENING
FILTERS
-Membrane Filter Presses
(ref no.3)
-Conventional Design of
using Granulated Active
Carbon Columns.
(Color Removal 80-90%).

Frequency controlled
Drives for feed pumps.

-One process adaptable to

all working conditions of
refinery and does not
require additional
decolorisation treatment.

Interlock systems for

motor drives in
sequence.

Decolorisation

Evaporation

Frequency Controlled
Drive for Feeding Screw
to Carbon reactivation
Furnace.

Effective integration with

continuous pans as well as
vapour recompression
Total Evaporated Vapours
are used for heating various
users and for continuous pan
heating.

This section is not

required for VHP
raw sugar

Capable to process
96oPol Raw Sugar
with high starch
and dextran content
Self discharging
pressure filters
does not requires
sluicing water for
discharging mud
Slurry.
Low loss of water
in Filter Press Mud
68% DM (ref no.3)
Water circuit is
shown In Figure 2
-All the Sweet
water is totally
consumed in
process at melters.
-Preservation of
environment
-Does not require
Complex Water
Treatment plant.
-Water circuit is
shown In Figure 3
Minimum Vapours
to be sent to
condensers.
Various
Arrangements of
Evaporators are
shown in Figure
5.1,5.2 & 5.3

SECTION

Key Design Features considered for Optimization of

PROCESS & STEAM
ELECTRICAL
WATER /
REMARKS

Crystallisation

Approach to selection of
Boiling System Design is
discussed in detail in
section 2.3 to 2.8

Frequency controlled
Drive for all massecuites
and Magma pumps.

Centrifugation

Preference to use of Batch

Centrifugals.

Frequency Controlled
Drive for batch centrifugals for curing Affination, R-1, R-2, R-3

Drying &
Cooling

Designing of Fluidized Bed

Drier and Fluidised Bed
Cooler based on
evaporative Cooling
principle.
Designing Boiling scheme
for maximum recovery of
residual sugar. Use of
continuous pans for massecuite while processing low
grade Raw Sugar

Recovery

Boiling System
designed to low
process water and
Condensing water
usage.

Use of air filters

for dry collection
of dust from
exhaust system of
Drier and Cooler

Condensation

Use of Surface
condenser in order
to avoid
contamination

2.3 Boiling System Design

The major issue was the choice between continuous and batch pans. Continuous pans
offered the possibility of considerable energy savings and other benefits (see ref no. 4, 5 &
6) including:
Low boiling head with good circulation enables lower pressure vapour to be used in
calandria.
Steam demand is steady, leading to steady evaporation and boiler operation, opening up
possible use of vapour recompression.
Opportunity to realise significant energy savings through integration of evaporation and
crystallisation heating systems.
Associated equipment is smaller since it is designed for steady rather than peak loads;
e.g., Boilers, vacuum pumps, condensers, condenser seawater pumps. Smaller
equipment leads to power savings as well as lower capital costs.
Consistent sugar product quality with higher yields.
Less steam is required for pan washing and steaming out, with reduced quantities of
wash water produced.

A study of available designs for continuous high grade boilings led to selection of vertical
pans with separate crystallisation chambers-the BMA VKT type (see ref no.6).Reasons for
this decision included:
The ability to use of low pressure heating steam (0.6 0.7 bar).
Lower compression ratio required if Vapour compression system used (see ref no.7,
SIT-94, Bosse).
Improved crystal yield and reduced encrustation with stirred crystallisation chambers
Stirrers also simplify coarse grain production.
Separate crystallisation chambers allow fully automatic process control including a
cleaning cycle where individual chambers are made available for cleaning during
normal production by isolating and bypassing.
2.4 Pan Capacity Requirements:
Materials balances were calculated for different boiling systems and grades of raw sugar.
Details of the two main systems are described below:
Boiling system - 1. Four White Strike and three remelt system (Conventional Straight
Boiling Scheme- Figure 4.1). All the boilings in Batch Pans.
Boiling System - 2. Three White Strike (using R-2 sugar as seed for R-1 Massecuite, R-3
sugar to remelt and three remelt strike system (Conventional Reboiling Scheme Figure 4.2)
R-1 and A-Boilings are in continuous pans.
Mass flows of various products in the two boiling systems, for 98.70 pol raw sugar at a melt
rate of 100 tons/ hour, together with estimated steam consumptions are given below in
Table 2.
TABLE 2
Mass Flows in Boiling System 1 & 2 And estimated Steam Consumption
Product
Boiling System 2
Boiling System 1
Conventional Straight Boilings in
Conventional Reboiling in
Batch Pans
Batch Pans and Continuous Pans*
Massecuites

Solids

Purity

Tons/hr

R-1 Mass
113.1
R-2 Mass
56.5
R-3 Mass
31.1
R-4 Mass
17.1
A Mass
26.2
B Mass
13.1
C Mass
6.5
Total Mass. 263.6

99.4
98.8
97.8
96
90-91
81-84
65-70

Total steam consumption:

Steam
Qty. in tons/hr
1.4 bar 0.75 bar
(H.P.)
*(L.P).

27.4
11.8
6.4
3.4
6.5
3.0
1.7
60.2

Solids

Purity

Tons/hr

Steam
Qty. in tons/hr
0.75 bar
1.4 bar
*(L.P.)
(H.P.)

192
31.1
17.1

98.9
97.8
96

* 42
6.4
3.4

26.2
13.1
6.5
286

90-91
81-84
65-70

3.0
1.7

* 6.6

14.5

*48.6

From the above it may be noted that Boiling System 1 using Batch pans requires more High
Pressure steam than Boiling System 2 which requires less high pressure steam if continuous
pans are used for R-1 and A boilings, in spite of less total massecuites.

The advantages and disadvantages of the two boiling systems are set out below in Table 3
TABLE 3
Boiling System 1
Conventional Boilings in Batch Pans

Boiling System 2
Reboilings using Continuous Pans for R1 and A

Advantages
- Less massecuite boiled hence less electrical
power required for centrifugals and process
pumps.
- No recirculation in R-1 boiling.
- Better control on crystal MA and CV with
batch operation.

- Less High Pressure Steam used.

- Single grade of commercial sugar, R1; hence, no requirement to blend
crystal.
- Continuous Pans suitable for R-1 and
A massecuite boiling.
- Vapours from R-1 & A massecuite
boiling, suitable for recompression.
- Lower compression ratio for vapour
recompression system
- R-2 Sugar as seed to R-1 massecuite
- R-3 Sugar to remelt or can also be
used as seed for R-1 Massecuite

Disadvantages
- Reliable seed supply for continuous pans a
major issue.
- Batch pans boilings requires more high
pressure steam
- Blending System required
- Scheduling difficulties with batch pans lead
to fluctuations in pan steam demand, which
then require increased boiler capacity.
- Steam demand fluctuations make batch pan
systems less suitable for vapour
recompression.

- Higher recirculation
- More massecuite boiled means higher
electrical
power
required
for
centrifugals and process pumps.
- Increased colour in fine liquor pan
feed due to higher boiling temperature
in 1st effect of liquor evaporator.

2.5 Fine Liquor Evaporation

As noted above, continuous pans can use low-pressure vapour as the heat source. This
offers opportunity for further steam savings through use of vapour bled from multiple effect
evaporators. Two particular cases for integration of pan and evaporator heating systems
were considered for AKS.
Case 1. Double Effect Falling Film Evaporator- (ref no.8-BMA-1.61.00433 for AKS)
This system was designed to use low-pressure steam (0.75 bar) to heat the first effect
Vapours from first effect is used in some process heat exchangers and for second effect.
Vapours from the second effect (0.25 bar) are sent to condenser or vapour recompression
This arrangement is shown in 5.2

Case 2. Double Effect Falling Film Evaporator (ref no. 8-BMA-1.61.00434 for AKS)
Designed to operate with higher-pressure steam (1.4 bar) all vapours from first effect
(0.75bar) is supplied to continuous pans, second effect and other users. Vapours from
second effect (0.49 bar) are used for heating of affination run off syrup and for heating melt
liqour in a vapour melter .No vapour is sent to condensers or vapour recompression. This
arrangement is shown in Figure 5.3
Note: A triple effect evaporator was also considered but the double effect (Case 2) proved to
be cost effective.
2.6 Vapour Recompression System:
The use of continuous pan also offered opportunities for steam savings by using vapour
recompression. Two types of vapour compression systems were studied in detail during
AKS planning.
- Mechanical Vapour Compressor (MVR) driven by electrical motor or / steam
turbine
- Vapour Compression by static thermo-compressors
Following an increase in the cost of electricity from 2 to 4 cents per kWh in 1994, an
electrically driven MVR was not economical. However, a steam turbine drive would have
required extra boiler capacity. As a result, low cost static thermo compressors were
installed to compress pan vapours from 0.25 bar to 0.75 bar.
2.7 Estimated Energy Consumption Details:
To assist final decision making with the boiling system, steam consumption estimates were
made for various plant configurations. Results for the case of a refinery processing 98.7 pol
raw sugar in the three typical arrangements above are set out below in Table 4
Table No 4
Estimated Total Steam Consumption of Refinery in different arrangements
Boiling
Systems

Boiling System 1

Arrangement

All Boilings in Batch pans

Boiling System 2
R-1, A massecuite Boiling
with Evaporator
in continuous pans and
Integration as Case 1 vapour recompression by
thermo compressors.
Boiling System 2
R-1, A massecuite Boiling
with Evaporator
in continuous pans heated
Integration as Case 2 by vapours from 1st effect of
the evaporator.

Steam
Consumption
Per 100 tonnes
of Melt

Energy
MJ/
Tonne

Ref.
Figure
No.

94.5

2550

5.1

74

2000

5.2

90.4

2440

5.3

2.8 Conclusion:
Having taken into account all of the above technical and economical criteria, the decision
turned towards boiling system 2 combined with evaporator integration Case 1. (See Figure
5.2)
3. REFINERY OPERATIONS
3.1 Startup
AKS refinery was commissioned in 1995. Designed goals were achieved in most areas
except for steam energy consumption where the plant had been installed as set out in Case 1
(Fig 5.2). This shortfall was mainly due to the failure of the thermo-compressors system in
spite of the smooth working of the continuous vertical pans achieving high crystal yields of
60%.
3.2 Plant improvements and modifications:
In view of the high steam energy usage, additional steps were taken to improve energy
efficiency, including:
Changing to processing VHP sugar (see ref no.9 & 10)
Implementation of evaporator pan heating systems integration as described in Case 2.
(See ref no.7 & 12).
Use of Pinch Technology in identifying energy savings (see ref no.11 & 12).
M/S Tongaat-Hulett / Pinch-Tech, South Africa, were appointed consultant for energy
savings programmes including Pinch analysis. Following projects were implemented:
-Boiler Feed Water heating by continuous Pan Vapours.
-Boiler blow down heat recovery.
-Condensate flash systems.
-Affination liquor heating in two stages by vapours.
-Melt Liquor heating by vapours in vapour melter.
-Fine Liquor Pre heat by heavy fine liquor.
-Evaporator integration schemes.
Review of process operations and setting of benchmarks, targets and goals for key
performance indicators to assist day-to-day process management.
M/s. Field Technology Consulting Pty Ltd, NSW, Australia were appointed consultant
for the above (see ref. No. 13).

3.3 Operating Experience:

Designed goals on energy and utility consumptions were achieved after implementation of
the changes described above. The results, using VHP sugar, are summarised below in Table
No.5

Table No 5
Sl. No
1
2
3
4
5

ITEMS

Consumption
Per tonne of Melt
0.82 Tons
51 Kg = 2185 MJ
30 MJ
65 KW = 235 MJ
2450 MJ
220 litres
40 Cu. Mt

Steam Consumption
Equivalent Boiler Fuel
Carbon Kiln Fuel
Purchased Power
Total Energy Used
Make up Water
Sea Water for condensers

Reference
Fig. 6.2
Sec. 3.3.6.1
Sec. 3.3.6.2
Sec. 3.3.6.3
Sec. 3.3.6.4
Sec. 3.3.6.5

Mass Flow is shown in Figure 6.1

Estimated steam consumption and Actual Steam Consumption are shown in Figure 6.2.
This consumption is based on total evaporation of 34.5 Tonnes in evaporators; i.e., Brix of
fine liquor fed to evaporator is 59.34 and heavy fine liquor is 74.00. The reason for low
densities of fine liquor is mentioned in section 3.3.1.
The estimated steam consumption for processing VHP sugar is about 77.5 tons per 100
tonne of melt equivalent to steam energy consumption of 2100 MJ/Tonne of Melt (see
figure 6.2).
At AKS monthly average steam consumption of 82 tonnes/100 tonnes of melt have been
achieved. This reduction in steam consumptions of about 12-13 tonnes /hr have been
achieved due to processing of VHP sugar, improvement in process operations and
implementation of energy saving schemes based on pinch analysis.
Other benefits/observations from implementation of the integrated evaporatorpan boiling
system include:
3.3.1 Capacity to handle low brix ( 58 o -60o Bx ) liquor:
When poor filtering high starch high dextran raws are melted at AKS, main stream
densities have to be reduced to 59 o -60o Bx to maintain full melting rate. Efficiency of
enzymes used for breaking starch & dextran linkage is better at lower brixes. In
conventional refineries, extra steam is then required at evaporators and pans to handle the
low densities. At AKS, any additional vapour produced at the evaporator is used at the
continuous pans, reducing the need for make up steam. It is found that there will be no
extra steam consumption down to57.8o Bx fine liquor feeding to evaporator. In other words
we can say that continuous pans consumes about 39 tons of vapours and all of this can be
made available from the 1st effect of the falling film evaporator. The estimated steam
consumption shown in Figure 6.2 is based on 59.30 Bx fine liquor feeding to evaporator.
This is also discussed in 3.3.
3.3.2 Coarse Grain Sugar Production:
From time to time AKS receives orders for large shipment of coarse sugar (M.A. 1.4 -1.6
mm) for delivery within 5-6 days. Normal sugar size is 0.6-0.7 mm. However the boiling
system is flexible enough to quick change over to course grain production. This is achieved
10

by increasing the size of R-2 & R-3 sugar seed magma supplied to the continuous pans to
0.9-1.2 mm. This change has found to have no impact on energy usage.
3.3.3 Crystal Yield
In the VKTs the density of R-1 Massecuite is conveniently maintained at 90.5-91o Bx, in
spite of low temperature steam and the crystal yield achieved is around 60%. Due to this
only 54.5 % of R-1 Light Run Off syrup is recirculated (figure 6.1) against 67.6 % if lower
yields of 50% were achieved (Figure 4.2). Hence, lower steam consumption for R-1
boilings.
3.3.4 Use of High Colour Seed:
R-2 sugar used for seed preparation is typically 80-100 colour and R-3 sugar is 200 ICU.
Usually this seed is of 0.35 to 0.4 mm size and is developed to 0.6 to 0.7 mm size by boiling
on 175 colour fine liquor and R-1 light run off syrup. In this arrangement the visual
appearance of product sugar is uniform and of good colour. No off coloured crystals are
seen on visual examination because off coloured seed is developed from 0.35 mm to 0.7
mm product by boiling on low colour liquor or syrup .In the case of blending first, second
and third or fourth strike crystals from batch pans, higher colour crystals can be seen on
close examination.
If a refinery has excessive stock of high colour sugar between 60-80 ICU, perhaps as a
result of plant outages or due to other reasons, then the crystal can be easily developed to <
30 ICU without remelting, by using it in seed magma provided size and CV are within
limits. With this arrangement 10-15% of high colour sugar can be mixed conveniently in the
system. This provides a low energy way of recovering the sugar compared to remelting it.
3.3.5 Colour increase in 1st Effect of Falling Film Evaporator
One consequence of the Case 2 system is that the boiling temperature of the liquor in the
first effect is around 99oC. As a result, colour increases of about 15 % between fine liquor
and heavy fine liquor have been observed .It is important to keep the liquor reducing sugar
content low to prevent a larger colour increase. Residence time in the evaporator should be
as low as possible and this should be checked at the design stage.
3.3.6 Energy and Water consumption
AKS practice is to measure total energy consumption; i.e., boiler fuel, carbon kiln fuel, and
electrical power. This provides a management focus on the total energy cost for the
refinery, regardless of its form.
3.3.6.1 Boiler Fuel Consumption:
The AKS boilers are oil fired. When melting VHP sugar at design rate, the monthly average
total steam usage is 82 tons steam / 100 tonne melt, (ref. section 3.3 and Figure 6.3). Boiler
fuel usage is 51 kg of Fuel per tonne of melt, which corresponds to steam energy usage of
2185 MJ / tonne of melt.
3.3.6.2 Carbon Kiln Fuel:
Melting VHP sugar and other process improvements have reduced carbon usage and in turn
reduced LPG consumption at the kiln. A monthly average usage equivalent to 30 MJ /
tonne melt has been achieved.

11

3.3.6.3 Purchased Power:

Presently AKS has no power generation plant. All electrical power is purchased from Dubai
grid. When VHP sugar is processed, the affination station is shut down and there is no
power used in the section. With no affination there is reduced load on recovery section
equipments resulting in further power savings.
Further, frequency drive units are used for Batch centrifugals, massecuite and magma
pumps. Centrifugal pump drives are being changed to frequency drive wherever the pay
back period is not more than one year.
Monthly average power usage is 65 KW / Tonne of melt, which is inclusive of power
required for sea water pumping and raw sugar ship unloading and conveying to raw sugar
store. This corresponds to 235 MJ / Tonne of Melt.
On this basis the average Total Energy Consumption is about 2450 MJ / tonne of melt.
3.3.6.4 Water Usage:
All the process water is generated on site. All pan vapour is condensed in surface
condensers and condensate recovered for process use. All the sweet water from
desweetening filters and carbon columns, while sweetening on/off, is consumed in the
process. Only small volumes of wastewater are discarded. As a result, fresh water make up
at AKS average is 220 litres per tonne melt.
3.3.6.5 Sea Water Usage:
Figure 6.2 shows that about 52 tonnes of vapours are sent to surface condensers. The
surface condensers are cooled by fresh water circulated around a closed cooling circuit.
This cooling water is cooled in turn by seawater pumped from the harbour through heat
exchangers located close to the wharf. About 3600 - 4000 Cu. Mt./hr of seawater is pumped
to cool the circulating freshwater. Seawater temperature varies between 27 o 37 o C.
3.3.7 Instrumentation and Controls:
The refinery control system makes an important contribution to maintaining energy usage at
a low level.
The Instrumentation comprises of Smart Field Transmitters and control valves while the
control system uses a Distributed Control System (DCS), Programmable Logic Controllers
(PLC) and Electronic Programmable Object Control System (EPOS)
The DCS consists of ABB-Master Piece 200-Process Control Stations, Advant Operator
Stations and remote I/Os are in turn connected to smart transmitters and control valves. PLC
controls are used for some subsections-Boilers, Mud Desweetening Filters, Dryer / Cooler
and Centrifugals. PLC s also communicates relevant information to the control room.
3.3.8 Programmes for future energy savings
AKS has plans to further reduce energy consumption by implementing the following
programmes:
Change to processing VLC sugar (see ref no.14) so that carbonatation can be shut
down. Possible sources of VLC supply are being explored at present.

12

 Eliminating the fresh water cooling circuit and pumping sea water directly to cool the
surface condensers:
Using the existing sea water pump to pump directly to the surface condensers expected
to save about 6-7 KW per tonne of Melt.
Cogeneration Installation of Power Generating Set:
Installation of turbo-alternator is being planned to help reduce energy costs further.
With the implementation of these projects energy consumption is expected to reduce further
towards the AKS benchmark for energy consumption of 2000 MJ / tonne melt.
3.3.9. CONCLUSION:
Energy efficient refineries are the result of sound design and attention to detail in day-today operations. Considerable effort went into designing AKS with the clear aim of
producing an energy efficient factory. That effort has now been rewarded with current
operating performance now showing that total energy usage levels significantly below those
achieved in conventional refineries. While processing VHP raws has been a significant
contributor to current performance, the main reason has been the integration of pan and
evaporator heating systems, using vapour bled from the liquor evaporator to heat the pans.
The use of continuous rather than batch pans for white sugar crystallisation allows full
benefit to be achieved from integration of the heating systems.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Authors are thankful to M/S Antonio Longakit, Sekhar Pachpute, Kanada Toto, M.
Kanhere, P.G. Venkat and Raman for their help in preparation of this paper.

REFERENCE
1. SUGARS Program for AKS, by L. Warner Weiss, 1991
2. SIT-93, paper no. 641, Michel Mabillot
3. SIT-94, paper no. 661, Chou C.C. & Clarke
4. ISSCT-92, Recent Development in continuous pan boiling, 105-118, Rein P W
5. SIT-97, Symposium on Energy Savings-Continuous Pan boiling, Rein PW, page 308312
6 SIT-85, Paper 527, D Bosse & BMA bulletins 89, 91
7. SIT-94, Paper no. 668, Bosse & Farwick
8. BMA - ref no.1.61.00433, & 4 for AKS
9. SIT-88, Paper 574,Production and refining of Hawaiian High Pol, VLC sugars.
10. SIT-97, Symposium on Energy Savings by Jean-Paul Merle p 298-307
11. SIT-92, Energy conservation revisited, by K. Sinclair
12. Tongaat Hulett / Pinchtech reports on Pinch analysis for AKS in 96-97
13. Technical Review report on AKS Process operations by Field Technology Consulting
Pty Ltd.-1998.
14. SIT-98.The VLC Sugar story, Paper 731,by P. Burns & P. Field

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