Process and equipment for sugar crystallization by controlled cooling

Process for sugar crystallization by controlled cooling, which comprises

• progressively cooling, in multiple stages arranged in series in a crystallizer, a descending continuous flow of a saturated sucrose solution at an initial temperature of from about 78° to 120° C. in the first stage, to a plurality of stages,
• maintaining the sucrose solution in each stage under crystallization at a predetermined temperature, until reaching a final temperature from 20° C. to 45° C. in the last stage,
• effecting the cooling of the sucrose solution in each stage by indirect heat exchange with a heat exchange fluid fed in, and circulated through, the last stage and,
• circulating the fluid ascendingly, through some portions of the previous stages, each stage receiving a selective additional supply of heat exchange fluid for maintaining the programmed temperature,
• the temperature variation between the stages being defined from the initial temperature in the first stage, by the ratio of the difference between the initial and final temperatures of the sucrose solution to the number of cooling stages and
• further comprising initially feeding a saturated sucrose solution in a sucrose solution inlet of the crystallizer and releasing the crystallized mass of said crystallizer through a crystallized mass outlet of the crystallizer, and wherein the heat exchange fluid is water at ambient temperature, heated water, saturated steam or superheated water.