Systems and methods for producing additional distillers corn oil and a high protein product from an ethanol production facility

A method of producing additional distillers corn oil and a high protein product from an ethanol production facility, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a supply of whole stillage from the ethanol production facility after ethanol has been extracted therefrom;
• c) introducing at least one self-generated diluent into the whole stillage to form a mixture of the whole stillage and the at least one self-generated diluent, wherein the self-generated diluent is an intermediate product having a lower percentage of suspended solid than the whole stillage, and the mixture of the whole stillage and at least one self-generated diluent produces a distillers corn oil containing diluted stillage product having a lower percentage of suspended solid and a low viscosity than the whole stillage;
• d) introducing the distillers corn oil containing diluted stillage product to a first shearing flow separator, wherein the first shearing flow separator produces a first overflow stillage product and a first underflow stillage product;
• wherein the first overflow stillage product has a higher percentage of distillers corn oil and a lower percentage of suspended solid than the first underflow stillage product, but with more fine particles, and the first underflow stillage product has a lower percentage of distillers corn oil and a higher percentage of suspended solid than the first overflow stillage product, but with more larger particles;
• e) introducing the first underflow stillage to a solid centrifuge separator, wherein the solid centrifuge separator produces a first intermediate product of a new thin stillage product having a lower percentage of suspended solid than the whole stillage and a new wet cake solid product having a lower percentage of distillers corn oil than conventional wet cake solid product;
• f) introducing a first part of the first intermediate product of the new thin stillage product as a first self-generated diluent into the whole stillage;
• g) introducing a first part of the first overflow stillage product to a first distillers corn oil centrifuge
• separator, wherein the first distillers corn oil centrifuge separator produces a first additional distillers corn oil product, a first fine particle wet cake solid product, and a second intermediate product of a clean water phase product having a lower percentage of suspended solid than the whole stillage;
• h) introducing the second intermediate product of the clean water phase product as a second self-generated diluent into the whole stillage, wherein the mixture of the whole stillage, the first part of the first self-generated diluent of the new thin stillage product and the second self-generated diluent of the clean water phase product produces the distillers corn oil containing diluted stillage product having a lower percentage of suspended solid and a low viscosity than the whole stillage;
• i) introducing a second part of the first overflow stillage product to an evaporator device,
• wherein the evaporator produces steam and a distiller corn oil containing syrup;
• and
• j) introducing the distiller corn oil containing syrup to a second distillers corn oil centrifuge separator, wherein the second distillers corn oil centrifuge separator produces a de-oiled syrup and a second additional distillers corn oil product.

A method of producing additional distillers corn oil from an ethanol production facility, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a supply of whole stillage from the ethanol production facility after ethanol has been extracted therefrom;
• b) introducing the whole stillage to a solid centrifuge separator, wherein the solid separator produces a wet distiller grain, or a wet cake solid product, and a thin stillage;
• c) introducing a first part of thin stillage to a first distillers corn oil centrifuge separator, wherein the distiller corn oil separator produce a first additional distiller corn oil product and a de-oil thin stillage;
• d) introducing the de-oil thin stillage as backset to a front-end of the ethanol production facility;
• e) introducing a second part of the thin stillage to an evaporator, wherein the evaporator produces steam and a distillers corn oil containing syrup;
• and
• f) introducing the distillers corn oil containing syrup to a second distillers corn oil centrifuge separator, wherein the second distillers corn oil centrifuge separator produces a de-oiled syrup and a second additional distillers corn oil.

A method of producing additional distillers corn oil and a high protein product from an ethanol production facility, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a supply of whole stillage from the ethanol production facility after ethanol has been extracted therefrom;
• b) introducing at least one self-generated diluent into the whole stillage to form a mixture of the whole stillage and the at least one self-generated diluent, wherein the self-generated diluent is an intermediate product having a lower percentage of suspended solid than the whole stillage, and the mixture of the whole stillage and at least one self-generated diluent produces a distillers corn oil containing diluted stillage product having a lower percentage of suspended solid and a low viscosity than the whole stillage;
• c) introducing the distillers corn oil containing diluted stillage product to a first shearing flow separator, wherein the first shearing flow separator produces a first overflow stillage product and a first underflow stillage product;
• wherein the first overflow stillage product has a higher percentage of distillers corn oil and a lower percentage of suspended solid but with more fine particles, and the first underflow stillage product has a lower percentage of distillers corn oil and a higher percentage of suspended solid, but with more larger particles;
• d) introducing the first overflow stillage product to a second shearing flow separator, wherein the second shearing flow separator produces a second overflow stillage product and a second underflow stillage product, wherein the second overflow stillage product has a higher percentage of distillers corn oil and a lower percentage of solid, but with more fine particles, than the second underflow stillage product;
• e) introducing the first underflow stillage product and the second underflow stillage product to a solid centrifuge separator, wherein the solid centrifuge separator products a first intermediate product of a new thin stillage product having a lower percentage of suspended solid than the whole stillage and a new wet cake solid product having a lower percentage of distillers corn oil than conventional wet cake solid product;
• f) introducing the first part of the second overflow stillage product to a first distillers corn oil centrifuge
• separator, wherein the first distillers corn oil centrifuge separator produces a first additional distillers corn oil product, a first fine particle wet cake solid product, and a second intermediate product of a clean water phase product having a lower percentage of suspended solid than the whole stillage;
• g) introducing a first part of the first intermediate product of a new thin stillage product as a first diluent into the whole stillage;
• h) introducing the second intermediate product of the clean water phase product as a second self-generated diluent into the whole stillage, wherein the mixture of the whole stillage, the first part of the first self-generated diluent of the new thin stillage product and the second self-generated diluent of the clean water phase product produces the distillers corn oil containing diluted stillage;
• i) introducing a second part of the second overflow stillage product to an evaporator, wherein the evaporator produces steam and a distiller corn oil containing syrup;
• and
• j) introducing the distiller corn oil containing syrup to a second distillers corn oil centrifuge separator, wherein the second distillers corn oil centrifuge separator produces a syrup and a second additional distillers corn oil product.