SPINNING CONE COLUMN A spinning cone aroma recovery and flavour manage- ment system that can process clear liquids, viscous products or slurries.

����������� he Flavourtech Spinning Cone Column (SCC) is The first commercial unit was installed in 1988 a thin film, spinning cone, vacuum distillation and since then acceptance of this novel technology column, commonly used for steam stripping has spread throughout food and beverage processing Tapplications. Due to the unique internal design of the industries. Spinning Cone Columns are now installed SCC, high mass transfer efficiency is combined with in more than 20 countries for a variety of aroma recov- the ability to process clear liquids, viscous products or ery and flavour management applications. slurries containing a high level of suspended solids. ADVANTAGES OF THE SPINNING CONE COLUMN For some time Flavourtech (developer of the SCC) Control Flavour Profiles: has been the world leader in the provision of aroma The SCC system has several operating parameters recovery and flavour management systems to food and that may be used to control the type and relative pro- beverage processing industries. portion of groups of volatile compounds in the flavour Typical applications of the SCC include: extracted from the feed material. The SCC allows • Aroma recovery from extract during soluble coffee aroma profiles to be tailored for new product develop- production. ment or to comply with the nuances of regional taste • Flavour extraction from slurries of coffee beans or differences. tea leaves. Process Slurries or Viscous Purees: • Aroma recovery during production of fruit and veg- The internal design of the SCC makes it particularly etable purees, juices and concentrates. suitable for the processing of materials that cannot • Dealcoholisation, alcohol management and flavour be handled by traditional aroma recovery systems. management in wine, beer and sake. Examples include viscous liquids or slurries contain- • Production of citrus oils and terpene fractionation. ing suspended solids. Products with viscosities up to • Deodourisation of cream and flavour management 10,000 cP or suspended solids up to 50% have been of dairy products. processed. • Essential oil extraction from botanicals, herbs and Short Residence Time and Low Temperatures: spices. The residence time of the material passing through the SCC is typically less than 20 seconds. This, com- bined with low operating temperatures (typically between 30 – 120°C), avoids thermal degradation of either the flavour recovered or the material processed. Negligible Pressure Drop: The fins located on the underside of the spinning cones act as a centrifugal fan, effectively assisting in the transport of the vapour phase up the column. This action minimises the pressure drop across the SCC allowing isobaric, and hence isothermal, operation. High Mass Transfer Efficiency: When compared to other columns of the same equipment group, the SCC is approximately 4 to 5 Part of an installation of eight SCC 10,000s times more efficient. Flexible: ISTORY H The SCC can operate at a range of feed capacities Although there were published references to spin- with no loss of performance. ning cone columns as early as the 1930s, the modern - day SCC is based on a revolutionary design conceived Easy to Clean: in the laboratories of the CSIRO (an Australian govern- The SCC is a hygienic system with all product- ment research organization) and subsequently devel- contact parts manufactured from high-grade stainless oped, patented and commercialised by Flavourtech steel. Each SCC system has a CIP (Cleaned-In-Place) during the 1980s. function which may be controlled manually or, as an option, automatically.

COMPARISON OF DISTILLATION COLUMNS Characteristic Plate Column Packed Column Spinning Cone Column Mass transfer efficiency Low Medium High Solids handling ability Negligible Low High Liquid holdup High Medium Low Residence time High Medium Low Handle high viscosity Negligible Negligible Excellent Pressure drop High Medium to low Negligible Cleanability Poor Poor Excellent SCC MODELS AND SPECIFICATIONS

he SCC is built in two hazardous area operation. standard column sizes. Different levels of automation The larger model is the are offered. TSCC 10,000 which is approxi- Other options available mately one metre in diameter include multi-stage condensa- and five metres high. The tion, internal stripping steam smaller model is the SCC 1,000, generation, production of strip- one tenth the capacity of the ping steam from DI water, inte- SCC 10,000, and one-third of grated product pasteurisation, a metre in diameter and two and integrated slurry prepara- metres high. tion systems. A SCC is generally delivered as a pre-assembled, factory test- CAPACITY ed system with all components The SCC is capable of (SCC, heat exchangers, con- processing a wide range of feed densers, pumps, etc.) mounted rates without compromising on a stainless steel base frame. performance. The maximum All electrical wiring, product nominal capacity for the SCC and services piping is com- when processing a water-like pleted prior to delivery. Only product is: product and service connec- • 1,000 L/hr for the SCC1,000 tions need to be completed on site, reducing installation time • 10,000 L/hr for the SCC and cost. 10,000 Many factors can influence MANUFACTURING the actual maximum through- STANDARDS put of a SCC system, including: Each SCC system is • Product viscosity designed and built to the high- • Suspended solids content est engineering standards • SCC operating temperature using such codes as SEP (Safe • Required strip rate Engineering Practice) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). If the required duty is The column has a pressure ves- greater than that which can sel classification and certifica- be handled by one column, tion where necessary (such as two or three columns may be the CE mark for units delivered installed in parallel. In such to the European Union). cases auxiliary systems (feed, discharge, condensing and vac- SCC 10,000 The systems feature an all uum systems) are common to stainless steel construction, a all columns (see photo of SCC high standard of surface finish, 10,000-2). and an effective CIP system making the equipment ideal for CONTACT hygenic applications. For further details regarding specific applications or uses of PTIONS O the Spinning Cone Column, The SCC is a flexible system please visit our website at offering numerous options that www.flavourtech.com.au allow customisation to meet the Alternatively, you may contact requirements of each individu- Flavourtech as per the details al application or customer overleaf. Different materials of con- struction and surface finishes are available as required. The can be built to vari- ous electrical specifications, including those suitable for SCC 10,000-2 THE OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF THE SCC

he SCC is a uniquely effi- cone and drops onto the first rotat- cient counter-current liquid- ing cone which spins the liquid (or Product Vapour gas contacting device, i.e. a slurry) into a thin, turbulent film Inlet Outlet Tdistillation or stripping column, which is forced upward, out and belonging to the same family of off the rim of the spinning cone, mass transfer devices as packed, dropping onto the next station- plate and bubble-cap columns. The ary cone below. In this fashion, SCC is unique in its use of gentle the product works its way from mechanical forces to enhance inter- cone to cone to the bottom of the phase contact. This allows the column. rapid, efficient and cost-effective The stripping medium, usually separation of volatile compounds steam, is fed into the bottom of such as aroma and flavours from the column and flows upward (the a thin-film liquid system. The blue stream), passing across the SCC can process thick, viscous surface of the thin film of liquid, slurries containing high levels of collecting volatile compounds as suspended solids just as readily as it rises. Fins on the underside of it can clear liquids without damag- the rotating cones induce a high ing the recovered flavour or the degree of turbulence into the ris- treated product. ing vapour stream. This, with the Vapour Internally, the SCC contains turbulent, thin film of liquid and Inlet two series of inverted cones. the long vapour and liquid path Attached to the inside wall of the lengths, leads to the highly effi- column is a series of fixed cones. cient transfer of volatiles from the Attached to the rotating shaft is liquid to the vapour stream. another series of cones, parallel to The vapour flows out of the top the fixed cones in such a way that of the column and passes through they alternate vertically: one fixed, a condensing system, which cap- one rotating. tures the volatiles in a concen- Product Product is fed into the top trated liquid form. The remain- Outlet of the column (the red stream). ing stripped liquid or slurry is Pulled by gravity, it flows down pumped out of the bottom of the the upper surface of the first fixed column.

Product Flow

Rotating Cone

Rotating Shaft

Fixed Cone Fin

Stripping medium flow

Flavourtech Pty. Ltd. ACN 003 812 226 Website: www.flavourtech.com.au E-mail: sales@flavourtech.com.au flavourtech Phone: +61-2-9418 4022 (Australia) Phone: +44- 118-935 7309 (UK) US Patent # 4,995,945 Phone: +1- 707-577-7810 (USA)

GBSCCFT 001 Dated April 2004 The material in this brochure is the property of Flavourtech Pty. Ltd. and cannot be copied without written permission.