US 12,742,217 B2Granted

Process for producing thin juice for the production of sugar, process for producing sugar and sugar production plant

AssigneePfeifer & Langen IP GmbH

InventorsMark-Oliver Burkhardt, Wolfgang Klosterhalfen

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing thin juice (17, 27) for the production of sugar, wherein lime milk—in a first liming step (3)—is first added to a raw juice (14) to obtain a mixture of raw juice and lime milk (15), and then carbon dioxide—in a first carbonation step (4)—is added to the mixture of raw juice and lime milk (15) to obtain a mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances (16), and the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances (16) is then—in a first filtration step (5)—filtered to obtain a first thin juice (17), lime milk—in a second liming step (3′)—is optionally added to the first thin juice (17) to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and lime milk (25), and carbon dioxide—in a second carbonation step (4′)—add carbon dioxide to the first thin juice (17) or the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk (25) to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances (26), and—in a second filtration step (5′)—filter the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances (26) to obtain a second thin juice (27), wherein at least one first sensor device (21) is used to detect first measurement data relating to the mixture of raw juice and lime milk (15) and/or the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk (25) during or after the first or second liming step (3, 3′), and/or at least one second sensor device (22) is used to detect second measurement data relating to the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances (16) and/or the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances (26) during or after the first or second carbonation step (4, 4′), and/or at least one third sensor device (23) is used to detect third measurement data relating to the first and/or second thin juice (17).

Claims19

Dependent claims

A process for producing thin juice for the production of sugar, wherein

lime milk, in a first liming step, is first added to a raw juice to obtain a mixture of raw juice and lime milk, and
carbon dioxide, in a first carbonation step, is then added to the mixture of raw juice and lime milk to obtain a mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances, and
then, in a first filtration step, the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances is filtered to obtain a first thin juice,
optionally, in a second liming step, lime milk is added to the first thin juice to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and lime milk, and
optionally, including a second carbonation step and a second filtration step, wherein in the second carbonation step, carbon dioxide is added to the first thin juice or the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances, and in the second filtration step, the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances is filtered to obtain a second thin juice,
characterized in that
at least one sensor device is used to detect a measurement data from:
the mixture of raw juice and lime milk;
or
the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk during or after the first liming step or during or after the second liming step with the proviso that the method includes the second liming step;
or
the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances;
or
the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances during or after the first carbonation step or during or after the second carbonation step with the proviso that the method includes the second carbonation step;
or
the first thin juice and/or the second thin juice with the proviso that the method includes the second filtration step;
wherein the at least one sensor device includes an optical imaging device, and the measurement data includes an image data;
wherein:
a geometric property of the particles and/or air inclusions contained in the respective raw juice or thin juice is/are determined based on the image data, or
a particle size of particles is determined based on the image data, or
a rate of descent of particles is determined based on the image data, or acrystal habit of calcium carbonate is determined based on the image data.

18 more elements

A process for producing thin juice for the production of sugar, wherein

lime milk, in a first liming step, is first added to a raw juice to obtain a mixture of raw juice and lime milk, and
carbon dioxide, in a first carbonation step, is then added to the mixture of raw juice and lime milk to obtain a mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances, and
then, in a first filtration step, the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances is filtered to obtain a first thin juice,
optionally, in a second liming step, lime milk is added to the first thin juice to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and lime milk, and
optionally, including a second carbonation step and a second filtration step, wherein in the second carbonation step, carbon dioxide is added to the first thin juice or the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances, and in the second filtration step, the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances is filtered to obtain a second thin juice,
characterized in that
at least one sensor device is used to detect a measurement data from:
the mixture of raw juice and lime milk;
or
the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk during or after the first liming step or during or after the second liming step with the proviso that the method includes the second liming step;
or
the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances;
or
the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances during or after the first carbonation step or during or after the second carbonation step with the proviso that the method includes the second carbonation step;
or
the first thin juice and/or the second thin juice with the proviso that the method includes the second filtration step;
wherein the measurement data comprise a content indication of pectins and/or dextrans, wherein a status indication of a status of one or more filter devices, optionally including filter candles, is determined on the basis of the content indication of the pectins and/or dextrans used in the filtration step.

14 more elements

A process for producing thin juice for the production of sugar, wherein

lime milk, in a first liming step, is first added to a raw juice to obtain a mixture of raw juice and lime milk, and
carbon dioxide, in a first carbonation step, is then added to the mixture of raw juice and lime milk to obtain a mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances, and
then, in a first filtration step, the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances is filtered to obtain a first thin juice,
optionally, in a second liming step, lime milk is added to the first thin juice to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and lime milk, and
optionally, including a second carbonation step and a second filtration step, wherein in the second carbonation step, carbon dioxide is added to the first thin juice or the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk to obtain a mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances, and in the second filtration step, the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances is filtered to obtain a second thin juice,
characterized in that at least one sensor device is used to detect a measurement data from:
the mixture of raw juice and lime milk;
or
the mixture of first thin juice and lime milk during or after the first liming step or during or after the second liming step with the proviso that the method includes the second liming step;
or
the mixture of raw juice and precipitated non-sugar substances;
or
the mixture of first thin juice and precipitated non-sugar substances during or after the first carbonation step or during or after the second carbonation step with the proviso that the method includes the second carbonation step;
or
the first thin juice and/or the second thin juice with the proviso that the method includes the second filtration step;
characterized in that, after carrying out a measurement in a bypass line, a self-cleaning procedure for cleaning the bypass line is carried out.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/287,513Filed 21 Apr 2022
Priority: EP 2117022023 Apr 2021
Published: US 2024/0209465 A127 Jun 2024
Granted: 22 Sep 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

C13B 10/14
Production of sugar juices: using extracting agents other than water, e.g. alcohol or salt solutions
A23L 33/105
Using additives: plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
C13B 10/02
Production of sugar juices: expressing juice from sugar cane or similar material, e.g. sorghum saccharatum
C13B 10/12
Extraction of sugar from sugar beet with water: details of extraction apparatus, e.g. arrangements of pipes or valves