Unit Operation

Mingling
The process of refining raw sugar
begins with the Mingler. This is a large
mixing trough where raw sugar is
blended with a combination of molasses
and warm water, known as Affination
Syrup. The sugar crystals rub against
each other which loosens the outer
molasses
coating
each
crystal,
improving the washing. The product of
this mixing is called Magma and looks
like a thick, dark brown slurry. It is
mixed at a temperature of 107.6
degrees Fahrenheit.
Affination
Leaving the Mingler, the Magma travels
to what look like large washing
machines. These machines are called
Affination Centrifugals and serve to spin
the magma at roughly 1200 revolutions
per minute in a drum-shaped basket.
The baskets wall is lined with a fine
mesh screen that allows the liquid
portion of the magma to pass through
while the solid sugar crystals remain in
place. With a final blast of steam any
leftover molasses rinses away and the
new product known as Washed Raw
Sugar is allowed to leave the centrifugal
for further refining
Melting
At this point the crystals need to be
melted in order to remove the
remaining impurities. The Melter heats
the Washed Raw Sugar with hot water
and steam until it dissolves roughly 162
degrees Fahrenheit. At this point the
sugar is transformed into raw Liquor,
which looks like a thick, dark-brown
syrup. It is now necessary to maintain
the hot temperature of the Raw Liquor
in
order
to
prevent
premature
crystallization.

Equipment
Mingler

Affination centrifugal

Melter

Clarification
Clarifier
The melted sugar liquor is then purified,
utilizing either the carbonation or
phosphatation process. These processes
trap suspended impurities in larger
particles which are easier to separate
from the sugar liquor. It is the complete
removal of the undesirables like yeasts,
molds and foreign objects.
Carbonation
The sugar is redissoved and
calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide
are added to the solution. These react
according to the following equation:
Ca(OH)2 + CO2 CaCO3 +
H2O
Colour, gum and amino acid
impurities precipitate out with the
calcium carbonate. The carbonation
precipitate is removed by pressure
filtering the sugar liquor through cloth
in a pressure leaf filter, leaving a strawcoloured, crystal clear liquid.
Phosphatation
Involves adding phosphoric
acid to the melted sugar and removing
the precipitate as a layer from the top
of a clarifier. The phosphatated liquor is
generally also filtered through sand in a
deep bed filter to remove any residual
precipitate left after clarification.
Filtration
Sweetland Presser
The liquor with the calcium carbonate is
now run through Press Filters. Each
press filter has 72 cloth covered
weaved plates that separate the
calcium carbonate from the liquor.
When the dissolved sugar emerges
from the filters it is now a pale yellow
and free of unwanted solids. Each of the
72 plates is connected to an effluent
pipe so that leaking cloths can be
quickly detected.
Decolorization
Char Cisterns

The liquor from the Press Filters enters

the cisterns at the top and soaks down
to the bottom through a variety of
charcoal that serve a similar function as
a domestic water filter, aiding
decolorization and impurity removal.
When the liquor leaves the cisterns it is
now called Fine Liquor and appears as a
pure, colorless solution of sugar and
water. The product is now sent to the
Liquor Gallery where it is inspected and
tested.
Crystallization
After the liquor has been filtered and
decolorized, thus completing the
purification process, it is boiled under
vacuum to crystallize out the sugar. The
vacuum is essential, for it reduces the
air pressure and lowers the boiling
temperature, which allows the sugar to
be crystallized without getting
overheated and discolored. This process
can take one to two hours and
continues until the crystals grow to the
desired size. During the process, an
operator will pull samples out of the
vacuum pans to check on the sugar
crystals under a microscope
Centrifugation
These function in the same manner as
the earlier Affination Centrifugals. They
are filled with the white massecuite
from the Vacuum Pans and spun to
separate the re-crystallized sugar from
the syrup and water.
Granulation
After the white sugar is crystallized in
the vacuum pans and remaining syrup
is spun out via batch centrifugals, the
Granulators finish the drying process.
Similar to a tumble dryer, these
machines toss the damp sugar while
hot air is blown at temperatures around
114 degrees Fahrenheit. Functioning
hand in hand with the Granulators are
the Granulator Rotoclones, which are
essentially large fans with water

Vacuum Pans

White Sugar Centrifuge

Granulator

nozzles to collect sugar dust. Dust

control is crucial in a sugar refinery
because fine dust particles suspended
in air have the potential to be very
explosive.
Screening
The sugar is now dry and fully
crystallized, however the size of the
crystals is still quite different. The Sugar
Screens are able to sort the different
sizes into their corresponding varieties,
such as Fine, Very Fine and
Powdered.
Packaging
The sugar is now ready to be packaged,
filled in in assorted sizes of bags. The
packaging process is virtually all
automated, with robots doing most of
the work.

Sugar Screens

Packaging Machine