Ethanol Processing FacilityUtilizes Ronningen-Petter™ Mechanically Cleaned (Self-Cleaning) Filters to Reclaim CIP Fluid!
Ask Filter Man
A large, Midwestern ethanol plant, having recently expanded, was faced
with increasing operating costs due to the rising price of caustic
(CIP) fluid.
The facility utilizes a series of tanks filled with corn mash, enzymes
and water. This mixture is heated and allowed to ferment - with each
tank being in a different stage of fermentation. When the process is
complete, each tank emptied and the contents sent to distillation.
To keep production levels high, the emptied tanks must be readied for
the next batch as soon as possible. The longer the tank is empty for
cleaning, the less revenue is generated.
Once drained, the tank is flushed with water. As the tank is
spray-rinsed, a drain valve is opened to flush out the solids. The
valve is then closed and the wash water is recycled to completely flush
the tank's interior.
The final step is to wash the tank with a caustic rinse containing
sodium hydroxide. This phase of the process is absolutely critical to
fermentation. If the caustic doesn't effectively clean the tank, it
can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria. Bacteria growth means
costly downtime and a lengthy, expensive cleaning before the tank can
be used again.
After an expansion in 2005, the customer wanted to add an automatic
filter to his CIP loop and remove any debris left in the tanks. This
expansion added more fermentation capacity, but with the additional
volume came the need for more frequent - and more efficient - CIP
cleanings.
RONNINGEN-PETTER SOLUTION:
To address this concern, the customer tested a Ronningen-Petter DCF
1600 in early 2005. The test results exceeded expectations. As a
result, the customer was quoted a DCF 1600 - 3 system for each of the
two 350 gpm systems.
After receiving the quote, the customer determined the ROI to be six to
eight months - based on the savings they would realize by
continuously removing the debris and circulating the liquid through the
filter and considerably extending caustic life.
The customer also had a decision to make. Where would be the best place
to install the filters? It came down to two choices. They could
install the filters in the CIP loop and filter the entire flow, or they
could install the filter as a side stream off the CIP mix tank.
The CIP loop is active about every 2 hours based on the size of the
tanks and the length of fermentation. The loop off the CIP mix tank
could be run on a continuous basis with product making multiple passes
through the filter. In this location the flow rates could be reduced to
filter a side stream that would turn over tank capacity approximately
every 10 - 15 minutes.
In the second half of 2005, the customer was hit with two price
increases from his caustic supplier. The increased cost of the caustic
and the more frequent CIP cleanings made purchasing the filters a
priority.
RESULTS:
Based on these events, the customer purchased two DCF 1600 - 3
filters with semi auto packages to interface with the plants DCS
system. The customer installed the filters in the CIP loop and filtered
the full flow. The filters were installed in the second quarter and
will be on line by mid year 2006.
by Ask Filter Man
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