Title of Invention

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURE OF POWDERED SUGAR BY SPRAY DRYING OF SUGARCANE JUICE

Abstract

ABSTRACT This invention relates to a method of forming powdered sugar by spray drying of sugarcane juice comprising the steps of (a) a clarified concentrated sugarcane juice of 24 brix is passed through insulated heat exchanger through pressurized nozzle of 1.5mm dia at 2 litre per minute flow before entering a spray drier chamber characterized in that this involves fundamental unit process of (i) atomization (ii) Hot air contact (iii) drying from liquid doplets and (iv) co-current operation wherein hot air is fed into juice droplets required to complete the evaporation of juice droplets. After reaching a point of dryness the moisture content of powdered sugar is 0.50. The amorphous powdered sugar thus formed in the spray drier is separated through primary cyclone separator and secondary cyclone separator, The powdered sugar so obtained as the product of the present invention is unique in that, the original intrinsic characteristics of sugar and nutritional values are kept intact in the free flowing powdered form with added value of the commodity.

Full Text

This invention relates to a method of forming powdered sugar by spray drying of sugarcane juice characterised that a free flowing powdered sugar is produced which is unique in that the original intrinsic characteristics of sugar and nutritional values are retained intact. In the traditional and conventional methods of manufacture of sugar, the sugarcane juice is extracted from the sugarcane in the first place. Thereafter, the clarified sugarcane juice is then evaporated, by multiple effect, pan boiling, crystallization, and centrifugal. This procedure is well understood and practiced by the Industry for many years. This prior art procedure has undergone several changes in the clarification methods, invention and application of multiple effect evaporation, pan boiling and techniques, ultra filtration and reverse osmosis. But all these years the stress and emphasis has been on the manufacture of white crystal sugar with the resultant effect, it lost its original natural characteristics and nutritional values due to long processing. In most of the present methods the starting point for extraction of sugar is by means of sugarcane juice. The method of forming in the present invention is different from the existing spray drying in that the temperature of the sugarcane juice is raised to 250 ° F and passed through a pressurized nozzle at high pressure and atomoised in the spray drier chamber wherein as co-current the air from the insulated air heater mixes with atomized sugarcane juice. On account of the contact of the droplets of juice and the hot air, the moisture from the said droplets are absorbed by the hot air and amorphous sugar is formed, which is passed through into primary cyclone separator, and secondary cyclone separator, and collected in the tray at the bottom of the cone. Thus the powdered sugar collected in the tray has the dryness of 0.50. In the present invention of forming powdered sugar by spray drier from sugarcane juice, a novel process has been devised which is particularly adopted to the production of a free flowing powdered sugar which posseses additional advantages as several steps in the conventional methods of making sugar has been eliminated such as multiple effect evaporation, pan boiling and condensation, crystallization, drying and other steps and resolves many problems mentioned above in the prior art. Further the process is especially useful as the original intrinsic characteristics of sugar and nutritional values are retained intact. The Main objects of the present inventions are: 1. Accordingly, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a method and process for the forming powdered sugar by a simple hi-technology process by avoiding a number of steps of manufacture in the conventional methods. 2. Another object of the present invention is unique and novel method whereby the process result in a powered sugar which preserves the natural intrinsic qualities. 3. Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce losses of sugar, less consumption of materials, reduced product cost and enhance productivity. This will result in increasing the total pol/sucrose in the powered sugar. 4. Still another object of the present invention is to maintain, uniformity of particle size of the powdered sugar. In accordance with the present invention it is shown that from hot clarified sugarcane juice powdered sugar can be obtained directly by spraying in the form of droplets , a hot clarified sugarcane juice at a high pressure and temperature through a narrow nozzle 1.5mm dia at 2 lit/min into an insulated spray drier chamber . The amorphous sugar powder which is passed through the primary cyclone separator by the hot air where powdered sugar collected at the bottom of the cone in a tray. To recover traces of powdered sugar, the hot air is continuously passed through secondary cyclone separator where the traces of powdered sugar are collected at the bottom of the cone into the tray. Thus the hot air from the secondary cyclone separator is taken to the heat exchanger to heat the cold sugarcane juice that is pumped from sugarcane juice Stainless Steel Tank. The cycle is repeated to get the required output of 10 kg./hr. powdered sugar from 120 kg./hr. sugarcane juice. According to the present invention of a method of forming powdered sugar by spray drying of sugarcane juice comprises of clarified concentrated sugarcane juice of 24 brix is pumped through insulated heat exchanger for the operation of spray drying which involves the fundamental unit process of clarified concentrated sugarcane juice is atomized through a nozzle by means of a control valve and the said atomized droplet of juice comes in contact with co-current hot air coming from the insulated air heater and the said hot-air absorbs the moisture in the sugarcane juice droplets and amorphous powder sugar is formed and the said amorphous powdered sugar is passed through primary cyclone separator wherein hot air is separated and powdered sugar is collected at the bottom of the cone in a tray and to recover traces of powdered sugar from the hot air, the said hot air is passed through secondary cyclone separator where the traces of powdered sugar are collected at the bottom of the cone into the tray and the said hot air from the secondary cyclone separator is passed through heat exchanger to heat the cold sugarcane juice that is pumped from sugarcane juice Stainless Steel Tank. The cycle is repeated to get the required output of lOkg/hr. of powdered sugar from 120 kg/hr sugarcane juice. The manner in which the present invention is fully carried out in actual practice is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :- Fig.l Shows a schematic view of the spray drying of liquid sugarcane juice and the flow of sugarcane juice entering the insulated spray drier and the direction in which hot air enters the spray drier. In Fig.l, Air is blown by air blower (1) having a capacity of 300 CFM and 300 Water column pressure through glass wool insulated air heater (2) having a cap. 72,000 Kcal/hr. of heat energy per hour or 83.7 KWH where the cold air attains the heat from the steam and passed through glass wool insulated Mild Steel pipe line of 4" diametre (10) and onto insulated Stainless Steel 304 spray drier (3) having size of 300 mm dia x 1.5m height. To this msulated spray drier chamber (3) warm sugarcane juice is pumped (5) at 150 litres per hour capacity at 4 Bar pressure from Stainless Steel tank (4) through insulated heat exchanger (9). In the insulated spray drier (3) hot sugarcane juice is atomized through 1.5mm dia Stainless Steel nozzle at 2 litres /per minute capacity through a control valve. In the spray drier chamber co-current hot air mixes with the droplets of sugarcane juice and the moisture is absorbed. The heat required for the absorption is 72,000 Kcal of heat energy or 83.7 KWH From the spray drier chamber, the amorphous sugar powder is passed through primary cyclone separator (6) wherein hot air is separated and powder sugar is collected at the bottom of the cone. To recover traces of powdered sugar from the hot air it is passed through secondary cyclone separator (7) where the traces of powdered sugar having dryness of 0.50 are collected at the bottom of the cone into the collection tray.(8). Thus the hot air from the secondary cyclone seperator is taken to the insulated heat exchanger (9) once again to heat the continuous flowing sugar cane juice that is pumped (5) from sugarcane juice Stainless Steel tank (4). The cycle is repeated to get the required output of 10 kg./hr of powdered sugar from 120 kg/hr. sugar cane juice. The powdered sugar from the present invention collected at the bottom of the cone in the tray, on analysis shows the pole/sucrose value as 83.66% with dryness of 0.50. The various constituents of the powdered sugar are mentioned in Table I herein below :- After reaching a point of dryness the samples are drawn and analysed frequently for moisture content and when the samples reached 0.50 dryness, then the powdered sugar is collected from the tray. While the invention has been described with the aid of diagram, it will be apparent from the disclosures generally and the nature of the invention itself that numerous modifications, variations, increase or decrease in the capacity of vessels and pipes and inlet and outlets and pressures applied and substitution may be made in size and measurement of the apparatus used, various details of procedure and the like. Accordingly, it is desired to be understood that within the broad scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise that has been specifically described in the specifications and diagram here to. I CLAIM 1. A method of Forming powdered sugar by spray drying of sugar cane juice comprises of clarified concentrated sugarcane juice of 24 Brix is pumped through insulated heat exchanger for the operation of spray drying which involves the fundamental unit process of clarified concentrated sugarcane juice is atomized through a nozzle by means of control valve and the said atomized droplet of juice comes in contact with co-current hot air coming from the insulated air heater and the said hot air absorbs the moisture in the sugarcane juice droplets and amorphous powder sugar is formed and the said amorphous powdered sugar is passed through primary cyclone separator wherein hot air is separated and powdered sugar is collected at the bottom of the cone in a tray and to recover traces of powdered sugar from the hot air,the said hot air is passed through secondary cyclone separator where the traces of powdered sugar are collected at the bottom of the cone into the tray and the said hot air from the secondary cyclone seperator is passed through heat exchanger to heat the cold sugarcane juice that is pumped from sugarcane juice Stainless Steel Tank. 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the glass wool insulated air heater has a capacity of 72,000 Kcal of heat energy per hour or 83.7KWH and is transmitted to the air flowing inside. 3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cold air attains the required heat of 72,000 Kcal of heat energy or 83.7 KWH in the glasswool insulated air heater by means of steam, passed through it. 4. A method according to claim 1 and 2 wherein the hot air pass through insulated Mild Steel Pipes of 4" diametre. 5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the spray drier is of the size of 300mm dia x 1.5 m height. 6. A method according to claim 1 and 5 wherein the spray drier chamber is made from 304 quality stainless steel. 7. A method according to claim 1 and 5 wherein the hot sugarcane juice is atomsied through 1.5nim dia Stainless Steel nozzle at 2 Itrs/min Velocity through a control valve. 8. A method according to claim 1 and 3, wherein the moisture in the sugarcane juice requires 72,000 Kcal of heat energy or 837 KWH for dryness. 9. A method according to claim 1 and 8 wherein the hot air from the secondary cyclone separaor is fed to the heat exchanger to recover the heat and to warm the cold sugarcane juice that is pumped from sugarcane juice Stainless Steel tank . 10. A method of forming powdered sugar by spray drying of sugar cane juice substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

Documents:

0284-mas-2002 abstract.pdf

0284-mas-2002 claims.pdf

0284-mas-2002 description (complete).pdf

284-mas-2002-correspondence others.pdf

284-mas-2002-correspondence po.pdf

284-mas-2002-form 1.pdf

284-mas-2002-form 19.pdf

284-mas-2002-form 26.pdf