CAPACITY CALCULATION OF BASIC EQUIPMENT FOR RAW SUGAR PLANT PROCESS HOUSE
In this article, we present a detailed guide on calculating the basic equipment capacity within the Process House of a Raw Sugar plant. The guide covers fundamental principles, key formulas, and step-by-step methods for capacity calculations—from the Raw juice pump to the Sugar house.
For basic understanding, we have considered the capacity calculations for a 2500 TCD (tons of cane per day) Process House.
| S.N. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| Crushing capacity | 2500 | TCD | ||||
| 114 | TCH | 22 Hours Basis | ||||
| A |
CLARIFICATION SECTION |
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| 1 | Raw juice quantity | Mixed juice % cane | 105% | 119 | Ton/hr | It depends on Cane Quality and imbibition%cane |
| Specific Gravity of Juice 1.06 gm/ml | 1.06 | 113 | m3/hr | i.e 119/1.06 | ||
| 2 | Raw juice tank | Generally, the retention time is to be considered 10 to 15 minutes. | ||||
| Tank capacity | 10 min. | 20 | m3 | 113/(60×10) | ||
| 3 | Raw juice pump | Consider 20% to 25% margin for the pump | 20% | 140 | m3/hr | 113 x 120% |
| 4 | Raw juice pipeline | The size of the pipeline is based on the velocity in the pipeline. Consider 1.8 to 2 m/sec | ||||
| Raw Juice Pipe Line Dia | 1.8 | 150 | mm | √(113/(3600 x 1.8 x 0.785)) x 1000 | ||
| 5 |
Raw juice heatersVapour line Juice heater (VLJH) |
Juice inlet temp. in oC (Ti) | 32 | |||
| Juice outlet temp. in oC (To) | 50 | |||||
| Vapour temp. in oC (Tv) | 62 | |||||
| HTC in Kcal/kg/ hr/oC (K) | 1000 | 800 to 1200 as per the new Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) formula in VLJH / Dynamic JH | ||||
| Velocity in a tube | 1.8 | 1.6 to 1.8 m/sec is preferable ( maximum, it will consider up to 2.0 m/sec) | ||||
| Tube ID in mm | 42 | |||||
| Heating Surface Area | 100.58 | m2 | S = (M x Cp) x ln(Tv-Ti)/(Tv-To) / K – Here Cp – Specific heat of Juice – 0.92 Kcal/kg | |||
| No.of tubes/pass | 13 | Nos | ((113/3600)/1.8)/(0.785*42*42/1000000) | |||
| 6 | Raw juice heaters (Duplex/Condensate JH) | Juice inlet temp. in oC | 50 | Condensate water temp 85 oC (If flashing system), 95 oC (Without flashing system) | ||
| hot water inlet temp. in oC | 85 | |||||
| Hot water outlet temp. in oC | 65 | |||||
| HTC in Kcal/kg/ hr/oC (K) | 1100 | Condensate heater HTC – 1000 to 1200 Kcal / kg/ hr/oC (K) | ||||
| Condensate Quantity | 75% | 89 | m3/hr | Available condensate water is around 75 to 80% on Cane | ||
| Velocity in a tube | 1.8 m/sec | |||||
| Tube ID in mm | 42 | |||||
| Specific heat of juice (Cp) | 0.92 | |||||
| Juice outlet temp in oC | 67 | ((89*1*(85-65))/(119*0.9))+50 | ||||
| Heating Surface Area (S) | 100 | m2 | Qm x Cp x ∆T = K x S x ∆Tm | |||
| No.of tubes/pass | 13 | Nos | Qm = Quantity of Mixed Juice in T/hr | |||
| 7 | Raw juice correction heaters (RJ3) | Juice inlet temp in oC | 65 | |||
| Juice outlet temp in oC | 75 | |||||
| Vapour temp in oC (Tv) | 85 | |||||
| HTC in Kcal/kg/ hr/oC | 510 | 6 X Tv x (V/1.8)0.8 | ||||
| Velocity in tube (V ) in m/sec | 1.8 | |||||
| Tube ID in mm | 42 | |||||
| Heating Surface Area | 149.19 | m2 | S=(M x Cp) x ln(Tv-Ti)/(Tv-To) / K | |||
| No.of tubes/pass | 13 | Nos | ||||
| 8 |
Juice reaction tank (Juice Deficator) |
Retention time in minutes | 7 | 7 to 8 minutes | ||
| Fiter juice %cane | 15% | 15 to 20% on Cane | ||||
| Juice column height in mm | 2400 | 2000 mm to 2800 mm for juice Deficator. | ||||
| Deficated Juice qty (Raw juice% + Filtered juice %) | 120% | 136 | m3/hr | |||
| Holding volume required | 160 | HL | ((E44*D41/60)*10) | |||
| Dia of the reaction tank | 2920 | mm | ((√((160/10)/(0.785*(2400/1000)))*1000) | |||
| 9 | Juice receiving tank | Required retention | 10 | min | ||
| Tank capacity | 23 | m3 | 136*10/60 | |||
| 10 | Deficated juice pump | Margin of the pump | 15% | 160 | m3/hr | Consider 15% to 20% margin for the pump |
| 11 | Deficated juice pipeline | Require siize @ velocity m/sec | 1.8 | Consider 1.8 to 2 m/sec | ||
| Pipeline Dia | 175 | mm | ||||
| 12 | Deficated juice heaters (DJ1) | Juice inlet temp in oC | 70 | |||
| Juice outlet temp in oC | 88 | |||||
| vapour temp in oC | 102 | |||||
| HTC in Kcal/kg/ hr/oC | 612 | 6 X Tv x (V/1.8)0.8 | ||||
| Velocity in a tube | 1.8 m/sec | |||||
| Tube ID in mm | 42 | |||||
| Heating Surface Area | 180 | m2 | S=(M x Cp) x ln(Tv-Ti)/(Tv-To) / K | |||
| No.of tubes/pass | 16 | Nos | ||||
| 13 | Deficated juice heaters (DJ 2) | Juice inlet temp in oC | 88 | |||
| Juice outlet temp in oC | 102 | |||||
| vapour temp in oC | 110 | |||||
| HTC in Kcal/kg/ hr/oC | 660 | 6 X Tv x (V/1.8)0.8 | ||||
| Velocity in a tube | 1.8 | |||||
| Tube ID in mm | 42 | |||||
| Heating Surface Area | 204 | m2 | ||||
| No.of tubes/pass | 16 | Nos | ||||
| 14 |
Juice clarifier |
Volume of juice | 136 | m3 | ||
| Retention time | 150 minutes | |||||
| Volume requirement (M3 / TCH) | 2.5 | 2.5 to 3.0 | ||||
| Tray Area ( M2 per TCH) | 1.6 | 1.6 to 1.7 | ||||
| Velocity of juice in the clarifier in m/hr | 3 | |||||
| Height of the clarifier (20 feet) in mm | 6096 | |||||
| Holding volume of the clarifier | 284.1 | M3 | Here, consider a conventional type of clarifier | |||
| Tray Area required | 181.8 | m2 | ||||
| Dia of the clarifier as per retention time | 7705 | mm | Single Clarifier | |||
| 26 Feet x 1no | FT | |||||
| Dia of the clarifier (As per velocity) | 7609 | mm | For cross-checking only Q = 0.785*D2*H |
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| 15 | Clear juice receiving tank | C. juice % cane | 110% | 125 | m3/hr | |
| Required retention in minutes | 10 | min | ||||
| Tank capacity | 21 | m3 | The diameter of the juice column is considered maximum. 1m to 2m to maintain the NPSH for the clear juice pump | |||
| 16 | Clear juice pump | Margin in pump capacity | 15% | 150 | m3/hr | 15 to 20% margin |
| 17 | Clear juice pipeline | Require siize @ velocity m/sec | 1.8 | |||
| Clear Juice Pipeline | 175 | mm | i.e 200 mm | |||
| 18 | Clear Juice heaters | Juice inlet temp in oC | 96 | |||
| Juice outlet temp in oC | 105 | |||||
| vapour temp in oC | 112 | |||||
| HTC in Kcal/kg/ hr/oC | 672 | 6 X Tv x (V/1.8)0.8 | ||||
| Velocity in a tube | 1.8 m/sec | |||||
| Tube ID in mm | 42 | |||||
| Heating Surface Area | 150 | m2 | ||||
| No.of tubes/pass | 14 | Nos | ||||
| S.No. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| 19 |
Lime Station |
Lime % cane | 0.10% | 0.08 to 0.12% on cane | ||
| Lime Requirement | 114 | kg/hr | 114 T/hr x 0.1% | |||
| Capacity of the Lime preparation unit | 300% | 400 | kg/hr | 200% to 300% | ||
| Milk of lime (MOL) 8 to 10 Lts /1000 Lts of juice | ||||||
| Milk lime storage tank retention time is 12 to 18 hrs | ||||||
| MOL Qty required | 8 liters | 1.1 | M3/hr | 136 x 8/1000 | ||
| MOL Tanks capacity | 18 hours | 100 HL x 2 Nos. | (1.1*18*10/2) x 2 Nos. | |||
| MOL pump capacity | 3 to 4 times | 5 | M3/hr | 1.1 x 3 | ||
| 20 |
Vacuum Filter Station |
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| a | Vacuum Filter | Normally, the Filtering area is considered 0.6 to 0.7 m2 /TCH | ||||
| Filtering area | 0.7 m2 /TCH | 80 | m2 | 114 x 0.7 | ||
| Filter juice quantity | 15% | 20 | T/hr | 12 to 18 % cane | ||
| b | Filtrate pump | 30% | 30 | m3/hr | Consider 20% to 30% margin | |
| Mud juice quantity | 20% | 25 | T/hr | 15 to 20 % on Cane | ||
| c | Mud pump capacity | 20 | 30 | m3/hr | Consider 20% to 30% margin | |
| Cake wash water quantity | 5% | 6 | T/hr | 3 to 6% on Cane | ||
| d | Wash water pump | 20 | 10 | m3/hr | 15% to 20% margin | |
| Bagacillo requirement 7 to 8 Kg/TCH | ||||||
| e | Bagacillo quantity | 7 Kg/TCH | 795 | kg/hr | ||
| Bagacillo obtained from the screen ( kg/m2/hr) 60 to 135 kgs of bagacillo/m2/hr. | ||||||
| f | Bagacillo screen Area | 75 | 11 | m2 | ||
| Air requirement for transportation of Bagacillo – 6 to 7 M3 of air / kg of baggase | ||||||
| g | Bagacillo blower | 6.5 | 86 | m3/min | ||
| Velocity in the Bagacillo transport line is 20 m/sec | ||||||
| h | Bagacillo blower delivery line size | 20 m/sec | 350 | mm | ||
B. EVAPORATOR HOUSE
| S.No. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| 1 | 1st effect | 25 to 30 kg/m2 evaporation rate & Vapour Production 34% to 40% on cane, depends on vapour bleeding. | ||||
| Vapour Production | 40% | 45.45 | T/hr | |||
| Heating Surface | 25.00 | 1818 | m2 | |||
| 2 | 2nd effect | 20 to 25 kg/m2 of evaporation rate & Vapour Production 30% to 35% on cane, depends on vapour bleeding. | ||||
| Vapour Production | 35% | 39.77 | T/hr | |||
| Heating Surface | 22.00 | 1808 | m2 | |||
| 3 | 3rd effect | 15 to 20 kg/m2 of evaporation rate & Vapour Production 20% to 30% on cane, depends on vapour bleeding. | ||||
| Vapour Production | 20% | 22.73 | T/hr | |||
| Heating Surface | 20.00 | 1136 | m2 | |||
| 4 | 4th effect | 10 to 15 kg/m2 of evaporation rate & Vapour Production 10% to 15% on cane, depends on vapour bleeding. | ||||
| Vapour Production | 10% | 11.36 | T/hr | |||
| Heating Surface | 15.00 | 758 | m2 | |||
| 5 | 5th effect | 10 kg/m2 of evaporation rate & Vapour Production 5% to 10% on cane, depends on vapour bleeding. | ||||
| Vapour Production | 5% | 5.68 | T/hr | |||
| Heating Surface | 10.00 | 568 | m2 | |||
| 6 | Syrup pump | Evaporation % Clear Juice is 70% to 80% depending on vapour bleeding system | ||||
| Deficated Syrup quantity | 30% | 31.25 | m3/hr | Syrup density – 1.2 gm/ml, 125*30%/1.2 | ||
| Syrup Pump Capacity | 15% | 40 | m3/hr | Consider 15% to 20% margin | ||
| 7 | Syrup line | Velocity of syrup in pump delivery line 1 to 1.2 m/sec | ||||
| Pipeline Size | 1.2 m/sec | 100 | mm | √(32/(3600 x 1.2 x 0.785)) x 1000 | ||
C. CRYSTALLIZATION
| S.No. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| 1 |
A Massecuite Pans |
A Grain % cane | 14% | 16 | T/hr | 114 x 14% |
| A Grain pan boiling time is 2.5 to 3.5 hrs | ||||||
| Total Batch pan capacity for A Grain | 3 hrs | 60 | Tons | ((16*24)/(22/3)) | ||
| A massecuite % cane | 28% | 32 | T/hr | 114 x 28% | ||
| A Batch pan boiling time is 2.0 to 3.0 hrs | ||||||
| Total Batch pan for A massecuite boiling | 2.5 hrs | 90 | Tons | ((32*24)/(22/2.5)) (i.e consider 2 x 60T pans) | ||
| A massecuite continuous pan capacity | 10% | 35 | T/hr | Consider 10% extra on the A massecuite quantity | ||
| A massecuite continuous pan holding volume | 18 | 630 | HL | 18 to 20 HL per Ton of massecuite | ||
| 2 |
B Massecuite Pans |
B Grain % cane | 5% | 6 | Ton/hr | 114 x 5% |
| B Grain pan boiling time is 3.5 to 4.5 hrs | ||||||
| Total Batch pan for B Grain | 4 hrs | 30 | Tons | ((6*24)/(22/4)) | ||
| B massecuite % cane | 13% | 15 | Ton/hr | 114 x 13% | ||
| B Massecuite pan boiling time is 3.0 hrs to 3.5 hrs | ||||||
| Total Batch pan for B massecuite boiling | 3.5 hrs | 60 | Tons | ((15*24)/(22/3.5)) | ||
| B massecuite continuous pan capacity | 10% | 18.0 | T/hr | Consider 10% extra on the B massecuite quantity | ||
| B massecuite continuous pan holding volume | 20 | 360 | HL | 20 to 22 HL per Ton of massecuite | ||
| 3 |
C massecuite Pans |
C Grain % cane | 3% | 3.4 | Ton/hr | 114 x 3% |
| C Grain pan boiling time is 5 to 6 hrs | ||||||
| Total Batch pan for C Grain | 6 hrs | 30 | Tons | ((3.4*24)/(22/6)) | ||
| C massecuite % cane | 8% | 9 | Ton/hr | 114 x 8% | ||
| C Massecuite pan boiling time is 3.5 hrs to 4.5 hrs | ||||||
| Total Batch pan for C massecuite boiling | 4 hrs | 40 | Tons | ((9*24)/(22/4)) | ||
| C massecuite continuous pan capacity | 10% | 10.0 | T/hr | Consider 10% extra on the C massecuite quantity | ||
| C massecuite continuous pan holding volume | 38 | 380 | HL | 38 to 40 HL per Ton of massecuite | ||
| S.No. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| 4 |
Supply Tanks |
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| Syrup % cane | 25% | 24 | M3/hr | 25 to 30% on cane & density consider 1.2 gm/ml | ||
| Melt % cane | 12% | 11 | M3/hr | 10 to 14% on cane & density consider 1.2 gm/ml | ||
| A Light % cane | 3% | 3 | M3/hr | 2 to 3% on cane & density consider 1.2 gm/ml | ||
| a | Supply tanks capacity for Syrup, melt, and A light | 3 hrs | 1140 | HL | Retention time 2 to 3 hrs | |
| A Heavy % cane | 14% | 13 | M3/hr | 12 to 15% cane & density consider 1.25 gm/ml | ||
| b | A Heavy Molasses Supply Tanks | 4 hrs | 510 | HL | Retention time 4 to 5 hrs | |
| B Heavy % cane | 8% | 7 | M3/hr | 6 to 8% on cane & density is considered 1.25 gm/ml | ||
| C Light % cane | 3% | 3 | M3/hr | 2 to 3% cane & density is considered 1.25 gm/ml | ||
| c | B Heavy and C Light Molasses Supply Tanks | 10 hrs | 280 | HL | Retention time 8 to 12 hrs | |
| 5 |
Molasses Conditioners |
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| a | A-Heavy Molasses Conditioner | 20% | 20 | HL | Consider 20% extra on the molasses flow rate | |
| b | B-Heavy Molasses Conditioner | 20% | 10 | HL | ||
| c | C-Light Molasses Conditioner | 20% | 5 | HL | ||
| 6 |
Crystallizers |
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| a | A m/c Crystallizers | Vacuum crystallizer for A Grain | 65 | Tons | Consider as per the Batch pan capacity | |
| Air-cooled crystallizers for A m/c | 4 hrs | 130 | Tons | Retention time – 3 to 4 hrs 32 T/hr x 4 hrs |
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| b | B m/c Crystallizers | Vacuum crystallizer for B Grain | 65 | Tons | Consider as per the Batch pan capacity | |
| B massecuite receiving crystallizer (Air cooled ) | 3 hrs | 50 | Tons | Retention time – 3 to 4 hrs | ||
| B Mono Vertical Crystallizer (MVC) | 8 hrs | 120 | Tons | Retention time – 8 to 10 hrs | ||
| c | C m/c Crystallizers | Vacuum crystallizer for C Grain | 65 | Tons | Consider as per the Batch pan capacity | |
| C massecuite receiving crystallizer (Air cooled ) | 4 hrs | 40 | Tons | Retention time – 4 to 6 hrs | ||
| C Mono Vertical Crystallizer (MVC) | 22 hrs | 200 | Tons | Retention time – 20 to 24 hrs | ||
D. CURING SECTION
| S.No. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| 1 |
Sugar Melter |
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| B Seed + C Seed Quantity – 7 to 9 % on cane | 8.5% | 10 | Tons/hr | B Seed – 45% on B massecuite C Seed – 35% on C massecuite |
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| Melt flow rate (Density – 1.2, Brix – 60%) | 14 | M3/hr | ||||
| Melter Holding Volume | 25 min. | 6 | M3 | 20 to 25 minutes | ||
| 2 | Melt Pump Capacity | 25% | 17 | M3 /hr | 20 to 30% margin | |
| 3 |
Centrifugal Machines |
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| The capacity of centrifugal machines is considered with an additional 30–50% capacity margin to compensate for breakdowns and maintenance requirements. | ||||||
| a | A m/c | A Batch machine’s capacity | 30% | 42 | Tons/hr | |
| b | B m/c | B Continuous machine’s capacity | 30% | 20 | Tons/hr | |
| c | CFW | CFAW machines capacity | 30% | 12 | Tons/hr | |
| d | CAW | CAW machine’s capacity | 30% | 6 | Tons/hr | |
| 4 | Molasses Pumps (Margins are to be considered as per the centrifugal machine’s capacity | |||||
| a | AL | A-Light Molasses pump | 50% | 5 | M3 /hr | |
| b | AH | A-Heavy Molasses pump | 30% | 20 | M3 /hr | |
| c | BH | B-Heavy Molasses pump | 30% | 10 | M3 /hr | |
| d | CL | C-Light Molasses Pump | 50% | 5 | M3 /hr | |
| e | FM | Final Molasses transfer pump | 50% | 10 | M3 /hr | |
E. SUGAR HOUSE
| S.No. | EQUIPMENT | BASIS | QNTY. | VALUES | UOM | REMARKS |
| 1 | Sugar Quantity | 12% | 14 | Ton/hr | Recovery%Cane – 12 | |
| 2 | Sugar Hopper Capacity | 30% | 20.0 | Ton/hr | 30 % margin is to be considered as per the centrifugal machine’s capacity | |
| 3 | Dryer Capacity | 30% | 20.0 | Ton/hr | ||
| 4 | Grader Capacity | 30% | 20.0 | Ton/hr | ||
| 5 | Sugar bins holding volume | 10 | 140 | Ton | 8 to 10 hours | |
| 6 | Total Sugar Weighing Machines Capacity | 50% | 25.0 | Ton/hr | ||
| Total number of 50 kg bags | 500 | nos/hr | ||||
| The number of bags per machine depends on the capacity of the machine | ||||||
| 7 | No. of machines required | 360 bags/hr | 2.00 | Machines | ||
Summery:
This comprehensive technical article presents a meticulous, step-by-step methodology for calculating the capacity of essential equipment in a Raw Sugar Plant Process House. Using a 2500 TCD (Tons of Cane per Day) plant as a practical example, it covers every major section: Clarification (including juice heaters, juice clarifiers, lime station, and vacuum filter station), Evaporation, Crystallization (A, B, and C massecuite pans and crystallizers), Curing (A, B, and C centrifugal machines, sugar melter, and pumps), and the Sugar House (hopper, sugar dryer, sugar bins, and weighing machines).
It serves as an invaluable reference for sugar technologists and engineers, providing key formulas, design basis values, thumb rules, and detailed calculations for pumps, pipelines, heating surfaces, and tank volumes.
Related Articles:
Sugar Plant Capacity Calculation
Centrifugal section & Sugar House
Sugar Industry Thumb Rules for Equipment Design Sizing
