Salient Aspects of Energy Conservation and Latest 

Trends in Sugar Manufacturing 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted by 

S. Ramesh
A. Muralee
D. Mohan Rao
 
 
 
 
 
APRIL 2011 
 
 
 
 
 

AVANT-GARDE ENGINEERS AND CONSULTANTS (P) LTD

(AN ISO 9001:2008 ORGANISATION)

No. 68A, Porur Kundrathur High Road, Porur

Chennai - 600 116, India
Tel: + 91 -44 -2482 8717/ 18/ 19/ 20
Fax: + 91 -44 -24828531
avantgarde@vsnl.com
www.avantgarde-india.com
CONTENTS 

Abstract ii

Introduction 1

General 1

Energy Conservation Measures 1

Latest Trends in Sugar Manufacturing 11

Cogeneration 12

Conclusion 12

Acknowledgement 13

References 13

Avant-Garde Profile 14

i
 
Abstract

This paper highlights the latest changes in machinery and equipment in the industries
that has led to saving on power and steam required in sugar manufacture station wise.
It also deals with the overall changes in concepts both in juice extraction as well as
sugar extraction that has resulted in energy efficiency and improvement in product
quality acceptable to international standards and Pharma industries. This assumes
grate significant in view of the increasing demand for power and energy in the country
and also up-gradation of power products to effectively compete in the international
markets.

ii 
 
1.0 Introduction

Sugar cane is the oldest crop cultivated in India for more than several thousand years.
Evidence is found in the Hindu Vedas about sugar cane.

Sugar cane process industries are having the tradition of more than one and half century
background. The first cane milling plant was invented in China during middle of the 19th
century. It was during the same period that “Parry” started their sugar operation at
Nellikuppam in the year 1852 in Tamil Nadu. In the olden days cane milling plants were high
energy consuming plants. Even though the plants had their own cogeneration facilities they
had to import additional power and fuel for the operations. This trend continued till about
1970, when factories started saving bagasse and sold it to paper plants and other uses.

Nowadays due many innovations in the thermal, mechanical and electrical engineering field,
the sugar cane process industries have become highly efficient compare to other process
industries.

Processing of Cane Juice to sugar also have undergone a lot of up gradation to improve
processing efficiency and better sugar colour value.

2.0 General

As we know sugar cane process industries are broadly divided into two main divisions,
namely engineering and process. But of late “Cogeneration” has become a third and equally
important division.

For sugar cane processing both thermal and electrical energy are required, and that is drawn
from the cogeneration plant. Bagasse from the sugar plant is used as the fuel for the
cogeneration plant during crushing season.

3.0 Energy Conservation Measures

3.1 Sugar Cane Processing

Sugar cane processing is divided into following categories

• Cane handling and preparatory system

• Juice Extraction system
• Juice clarification system

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 • Evaporation
• Crystallization & Centrifuging

3.1.1 Cane handling and preparatory system

As we know, in the olden days harvested cane from the field were weighed and fed to the
cane carrier by manual unloading. In later days EOT cranes and feeder tables were invented
to ease the cane feeding operation without any shortfalls to milling/diffusion juice extraction
system.

3.1.1.1 Cane Un-loaders

Grab un-loaders lead to frequent kick loads. Nowadays hydraulic grabs and sling system are
introduced to avoid the kick loads and are working satisfactorily. Hydraulic tipplers are
introduced in the northern part of our country and are giving trouble free operation. The
hydraulic tippler reduces the power requirement and also reduces the kick loads.

3.1.1.2 Feeder Tables

As we know that feeder tables are used to store the cane and feed it in to the cane carrier
continuously.

These feeder tables were driven by constant speed induction motor coupled with Eddy
current coupling to vary the feeding surface speed till recently. Nowadays due to
development of Variable Frequency Drives, motor speed will be varied as per the
requirement and also at the same time power will be saved during slow speed operation.

In the past low efficient worm and worm wheel type single stage gearboxes and open spur
gears or chains were used for speed reduction.

Nowadays highly efficient (95%) shaft mounted planetary gearboxes, are used for speed
reduction, which reduces power consumption considerably.

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 The View of Feeder Table Drive Arrangement with ACVFD Motor and Shaft
Mounted Planetary Gearbox

By introducing ACVFD and planetary gearboxes installed power is reduced by two third of
earlier requirement. Feeder table of 8M x 7M is installed in a 6000 TCD sugar plant with
only 15 kW motor in place of 22 kW motor which was required for old drive arrangements,
thus saving one third power.

3.1.1.3 Cane Carrier

Like cane feeder table, cane carrier also was driven by squirrel gauge induction motor with
eddy current coupling for speed variation and with conventional gearbox and open gears for
speed reduction.

Nowadays conventional motor with eddy current coupling is replaced by ACVFD motor with
planetary gears for speed reduction. By this arrangement one third electrical power gets
saved.

3.1.1.4 Cane preparation philosophy

Till date we are using kicker, leveler/chopper, cutter and fibrizer/shredder for cane
preparation, and the average power consumption will be around 65 kW per ton of fiber.

This process required lot of attention in each unit as well as maintenance. This is replaced by
latest development of inline shredder with feed drum and carding drum. The power
consumption in this area is reduced from 65 kW to 56 kW per ton of fiber and cane
preparative index will be around 90+ with long fibers.

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3.1.2 Juice Extraction System

In general juice extraction plant is broadly divided into two types, one is commonly well
known in India, as the milling technology and another one is diffusion technology.

3.1.2.1 Whole Cane Diffuser

Diffusion technology is commonly used in Australia and African countries. The diffusion
technology is highly energy efficient than milling technology. But in our country the
technology did not gain acceptance during its introduction period itself, because diffusion
technology mainly depends upon the cane preparation and the automation. In diffusion
system cane preparative index should be 90+ for juice leaching in the diffuser. At the time of
introduction of diffuser in India (during 1980’s), we were having the cane preparation
equipments only to get maximum value of 70-80 PI and hence the system failed to prove the
performance. Moreover the performance of the diffuser depends on the automation controls.
The juice pH and temperature inside the diffuser have to be controlled properly to get
maximum juice extraction in the diffuser. At the time of introduction of diffuser in our
country automation was not even thought of.

The following are the comparison of diffuser with mills.

Comparison of Installed Power in 2500 TCD Sugar Plant

Cane Diffusion (HP) Milling (HP)

CANE PREPARATION

i. Cane Chopper 150 150

ii. Cane Cutter 250 250

iii. Fibrizer 1600 1600

iv. Cane Carrier 60 75

v. Rake Carrier 40 50

vi. Drag conveyor 22 -

Total (A) HP 2122 2125

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 JUICE EXTRACTION

i. 4 sets of Mills 4 x 600 - 2400

ii. One Set of Diffuser 455 -

iii. De-Watering Mills 1035 -

iv. Mill Juice Pump 22 60

v. Intermediate Carrier 87.5 120

Total (B) HP 1599.5 2580

Total (A + B) HP 3721.5 4705

Note: - A diffuser achieves a RME of 97+. To achieve this RME at a milling plant, six
numbers of three roller mills are required, increasing the installed power by another 1260 HP.

Advantages of Cane Diffuser over Milling Tandem

1. Increase in extraction (Reduced Milling Extraction by 2.0% )

2. Reduction in maintenance cost (less moving parts)
3. Increase in plant availability (Downtime low, hence plant time efficiency increases)
4. Reduction in maintenance Man Hours(down by 70% due to less moving parts)
5. Reduction of re-shelling of rollers (down by 75% due to elimination of 3 mills)
6. Mill sanitation improvement (higher temperature maintained in diffuser reduces sugar
loss due to bio chemical inversion)
7. Automation (less man power and efficiency improved)
8. Reduction of sugar loss in filter cake and disposal problem (down by 0.07% cane
(50%): colloids are coagulated during scalding juice heating, filtered by the bagasse
blanket back in diffuser. Less dissolved solids are expected to enter the clarification
process, so muddy juice % cane is largely reduced, resulting in less filter cake %
cane)
9. Increase in available bagasse (up by 0.75%) cane due to less use of bagacillo in
vacuum filter since less muddy juice % cane.
10. Steady juice flow rate to boiling house.
11. Decrease scale formation in evaporators.
12. Reduction of oil and grease in effluent (down by 60%)
13. Less sulphur consumption for clarification house (down by 20%)
14. Reduction of electrical power consumption.

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3.1.2.2 Milling Tandem

Various type of mills are available in the world as per the manufactures designs, like vertical
head stack, inclined head stake, auto setting, self setting mills etc. Normally conventional
mills are having three rollers with feed, top and discharge rollers along with under feed
rollers. The mills are having trash plate to convey the bagasse from first compression to
second compression in the mills.

Usually the static trash plate consumes about 15% to 20% of the mill drive power.
During the traveling of bagasse a lot of extracted juice in the compressions zone will be
reabsorbed by bagasse due to improper drainage in the mills.

Top

Feed Discharge
Juice drainage

Latest development in the milling technology is two roller mill. These mills are not like our
conventional olden days crusher. The typical arrangement of two roller mill is as shown
below.

Feed Reabsorbtion
Top
Limiting
Device
Bottom
Juice drainage

Every droplet of extracted juice is properly drained in this system.

In the past mills were driven by steam engines (14% thermal efficiency) or by steam turbines
(35% thermal efficiency) drives, which are very low efficient drives. Nowadays these drives
are gradually replaced by energy efficient (90% and above) DC Drives/ACVFD Motors.
ACVFD motors are most suitable for mill drives because of their own advantages.

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For steam turbines power transmission system for mills, three stage gearing systems were
used i.e. high speed reduction gearbox, slow speed reduction gearbox and bigger size open
gearing arrangements. Total gearing efficiency in this system was around 80.8% only.

After introduction of electrical drives the first stage high speed gearbox is completely
eliminated and two stage speed reduction efficiency of 82.0% is achieved. At present
planetary gearbox eliminates slow speed gearbox and open gearing arrangement and its
efficiency is around 95%.

View of ACVFD Motor with Planetary Gearbox for 36” x 78”

Two Roller Mill

The above view shows the 3500 TCD milling tandem having four numbers two roller mills
with the installed power of 430 kW ACVFD motor with foot mounted planetary (four stage)
gearbox. Whereas the same capacity sugar plant having three roller mills of 36” x 78” size
required an installed power of 600 kW (considering 150% safety factor).

In the two roller mill trash plate is eliminated and there will not be any hydraulic load on mill
roller journals. Hence the power consumption in the milling will reduce to one third of total
power consumption.

Inter Rake Carrier

Normally inter rake carrier in the milling tandem are driven by constant speed motor and
speed variation is done through eddy current coupling and power transmission is by single
stage worm gearbox and open gearing. Nowadays this system is replaced by ACVFD motor
and planetary gearbox for power saving. Here also one third power will be saved.

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 View of Foot Mounted Planetary View of Shaft Mounted Planetary
Gearbox With ACVFD Motor Gearbox with ACVFD Motor for
For Inter Rake Carrier Short Distance Inter Rake Carrier

Pumps

Nowadays all the material handling pumps like screened juice, sulphited juice, clear juice,
syrup extraction pumps etc., are driven through ACVFD Motors to control the constant flow
to process to achieve good boiling house performance and also save energy.

3.1.3 Juice Clarification

Mass Flow Meter

In the juice clarification area juice weighment is carried out through mass flow meter
replacing the conventional mechanical tipper scale. This totally eliminates the mechanical
weighing system and weighed raw juice pumps and its operation and maintenance.

Juice Heaters

Juice heating by the tubular heater is gradually being replaced by Direct Contact Heaters and
Wide Gap Plate Type Heat Exchangers. Because of this juice can be heated by later effect
evaporator’s vapour to reduce the steam consumption of the process. The approach
temperature for the new generation heaters is very low (10C). De-scaling of juice heaters is
completely eliminated in the Direct Contact Heaters. In the plate type heat exchanger
automated cleaning systems are introduced and de-scaling down time is reduced
considerably.

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Juice Clarifier

The conventional 444 clarifier is slowly getting replaced by Short Retention Time Juice
Clarifier. Normally juice retention in this type of clarifier is 45 min as against 180 min in the
conventional clarifier. This eliminates the falling of clear juice temperature reduction coming
out form the clarifier. Hence additional thermal energy required to raise the clear juice
temperature is reduced.

Filtrate Juice Clarification

Filtrate juice from the Vacuum Filter/ Decanter is treated in the filtrate juice clarification
system (either by flotation or sedimentation process), the clarified juice can be directly taken
into clear juice for further process. This eliminates around 12% juice re-circulation in the
clarification process.

3.1.4 Juice evaporation

Old concepts like vapour cell with quad and DEVC with quad is getting replaced by
quintuple effect evaporation with common condenser. Because of the high pressure
cogeneration the exhaust pressure available for the first effect will be easily maintained
around 1.5 Kg/cm2 and 1300 C constantly. This eliminates the thermal shocks in the
evaporation system.

The first effect Roberts bodies are being slowly replaced by Semi Kestner and Falling Film
Evaporators which are providing lower ∆T in the evaporation.

Even fourth body vapours can be utilized for pan boiling.

Automatic juice flow stabilization control in clarification and auto control in evaporator
operation ensures consistency of operation and efficiency of the systems

3.1.5 Crystallization and Centrifuging

Pan Boiling

In the crystallization process nowadays continuous vacuum pans both horizontal and vertical
type are being utilized. These pans can be operated with low temperature vapour. Hence later
effect evaporator’s vapour (third and even fourth effect) will be sufficient for the pan boiling.
In the batch pans mechanical circulators (either bottom mounted or top mounted) increases
the circulation of massecuite and hence vapour consumption reduces. By the above total

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steam consumption for sugar boiling is reduced, by more than 2%. Total automation of pan
boiling controls results in consistency, uniformity & efficiency.

Condensers

To create vacuum in evaporation and crystallization system in olden days Barometric

condensers were used. Later these were replaced by Double Entry Multi Jet Condensers.
Nowadays these double entry multi jet condensers are replaced by single entry multi jet
condensers. Single entry multi jet condensers are highly efficient and hence the water
requirement for the condensing system is reduced by one third and also it can be easily
automated to reduce energy consumption.

Latest development in the condensing system is single common condenser for entire process.
Such system is already in operation in some new installations. Which are quite successful as
well as energy efficient.

Crystallizers

Massecuite dropped from the pans are stored and cooled in the crystallizer. Open type
horizontal air cooled crystallizers are used for high grade massecuite and open type
horizontal water cooled crystallizers are used for low grade massecuite in the past. At present
for the lower grade massecuite single unit of mono vertical crystallizer is used. This will save
lot of energy and maintenance cost.

Very low efficient worm and worm wheel type gears for crystallizer drive are gradually
replaced by high efficient planetary gearbox. This saves nearly 50% of power consumed in
this area. Also in the centrifugal area pug mill and magma mixer drives are replaced by
planetary gears. By this replacement 50% electrical power will be saved in this area.

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 View of Shaft Mounted Planetary Gearboxes in Crystallizers and Magma Mixer
Centrifugals

In the batch centrifugal area high efficient regenerative ACVFD motors are used to reduce
the power consumption form 3.0 kW per cycle (conventional three speed motor) to 1.08 kW
per cycle.

The above configuration will be reducing the steam and power consumption in the sugar
plant operation. Steam Requirement for sugar process will get reduced to around 32% on
cane and power consumption for entire sugar plant operation will be 22 kW per TCH for all
electric sugar plant).

4.0 Latest Trends in Sugar Manufacturing

4.1 Sugar Cane Juice Processing

Cane Juice Process depends upon the juice clarification process; the following are the world
wide process adopted to remove the impurities and colouring maters from the sugar cane
juice.

a. Defecation Process
b. Double Sulphitation/Carbonation Process and
c. Phosphitation Process

The defecation & Phosphitation process are used to make raw sugar with colour value of
about 800 ICUMSA.

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The double sulphitation/Carbonation Process are used to make direct consumable plantation
white sugar with the colour value of around 100 ICUMSA.

In our country we are traditionally adopting double sulphitation process to make direct
consumable plantation white sugar.

As per our Indian Sugar Standard Sulphur content allowed is 70 mg/kg (Max) for double
sulphitation process and 15 mg/kg (Max) for refined sugar process. Sulphur content of 70
mg/kg in the sugar is not acceptable by the developed countries.

Operation & maintenance of sulphur burners and SO2 gas lines are expansive and also the
cost of sulphur is high. To avoid the above, nowadays leading sugar manufacturers are
switching over to defecation followed by raw sugar production, and modified refining
process with R1 & R2 massecuite boiling, to produce lustrous, sulphurless white sugar of less
than 50 ICUMSA units, acceptable to international market and pharma grade. Apart from that
they are having the refinery columns for refined sugar production. By this process sugar
colour value comes down to 20 to 30 ICUMSA.

4.2 Muddy Juice Filtration:

The latest developed decanter system for Muddy Juice filtration is completely eliminated the
bagacillo requirement (around 0.8% on cane) and the same is effectively used in the
cogeneration plant for additional revenue. Also mud volume and pol loss in the mud is
drastically reduced to 0.012 on sugar.

5.0 Cogeneration

Olden day’s people were thinking that bagasse is not suitable for high pressure cogeneration
cycle boiler, as fuel. Nowadays it is proven that cycle parameters of 125 ata with 5450 C are
achievable. This cycle parameter is very high efficient and suitable for even 3500 TCD sugar
plant. In this cycle steam fuel ratio is high and specific steam consumption is low.

6.0 Conclusion

The above said measures are not just a myth it is being practically achieved by latest
installations.

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7.0 Acknowledgement

The authors would like to express their sincere and grateful thanks to the management of
Avant Grade Engineers and Consultants (P) Ltd., for giving kind permission &
encouragement for publishing this article.

8.0 References

1. Peter Rein – Cane Sugar Engineering

2. E. Hugot – Hand book of cane sugar engineering

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About Avant-Garde

Avant-Garde is one of the leading Engineering and Consulting Company with over two
decades of experience in Co-Generation plant installations in sugar plants. The company has
an excellent track record in providing engineering services for the Preparation of Feasibility
reports, Detailed Project reports, Contract detailed Engineering services and Supervision of
Erection and Commissioning for the Co-Generation plants. Avant-Garde have successfully
executed / are executing nearly 100 co-generation plants in the industry, totaling to about
2000MW of power addition to the Nation.

Engineering Services Provided for Sugar Plants

• Feasibility Report for new sugar plants installation
• Feasibility Report for sugar plant expansion with additional facilities
• Detailed Project Report for new sugar plant installation
• Detailed Project Report for sugar plant expansion
• Detailed Project Report for sugar complex consisting of sugar plant, distillery and
cogeneration plants
• Investigative and Solution services for the Existing Sugar Plant
• Plant layout, project design and equipment layout
• Sugar plant Automation for Diffuser type / Milling type plants, Automation for
plantation white sugar, refinery, and raw sugar manufacturing facilities
• Procurement services for Sugar plant machineries either on package basis or on EPC
basis
• Supervision of the plant installation and commissioning
• Energy efficiency studies in Sugar plants
• Introduction of Automation in Sugar plants for various sections
• Engineering services for distillery installation
• Engineering services for SLOP fired boiler installation to achieve zero discharge from
distilleries
• Engineering services for strategic addition of co-generation plants

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Plant Automation

Automation helps an industry to get more out of each stage of the process. Automation of
sugar plant not only saves the energy consumption but also improve plant operation and
product quality. The following are the areas where Avant-Garde has provided services for
plant automation.

• Cane Feed Automation

• Mill Automation
• Imbibitions Automation
• Juice Flow Stabilization
• Auto lime feeding
• Temperature controls
• Regulating Juice level in Evaporator
• Pan Automation

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For more information on any of our services, please contact us on +91 -44- 2482 8717 /
18 / 19/ 20 or by email at avantgarde@vsnl.com