Advances in Super-Saturation Measurement and Estimation Methods for Sugar Crystallisation Process
Aniediong M. Umo and Sunday B. Alabi
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
Abstract—The super-saturation level of the massecuite is an important quality parameter for sugar crystallisation process, as it determines the seeding point, contributes to the quality of crystals and the cost of production. This paper critically appraises the current measurement and estimation methods for super-saturation level of sugar massecuite. On the one hand, the review shows that the current online hardware sensors lack the necessary accuracy, as the variable to be measured is a multivariable function of many unknowns. Moreover, the sensors require regular maintenance and recalibration to be able to obtain reliable readings. On the other hand, the review shows that soft (model or software-based) sensors are capable of offering solutions to some of the challenges of the online hardware sensors. However, their predictions depend on the hardware sensors for some input data and the available sugar crystallisation models are not in the form suitable for online estimation of super-saturation level of the sugar massecuite. It is concluded that the effective measurement/estimation and control of super-saturation of sugar massecuite is still a challenge in the sugar processing industry. It is therefore recommended that soft sensors should be introduced to complement the online hardware sensors.
Index Terms—sugar, crystallisation, super-saturation, soft sensor, hardware sensor
Cite: Aniediong M. Umo and Sunday B. Alabi, "Advances in Super-Saturation Measurement and Estimation Methods for Sugar Crystallisation Process," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 108-112, December 2016. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.2.2.108-112
Cite: Aniediong M. Umo and Sunday B. Alabi, "Advances in Super-Saturation Measurement and Estimation Methods for Sugar Crystallisation Process," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 108-112, December 2016. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.2.2.108-112
Array