The Determination of Sugar Cane Quality in Louisiana by the Core Press Method
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1977 The etD ermination of Sugar Cane Quality in Louisiana by the Core Press Method. Harold Sydney Birkett Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Birkett, Harold Sydney, "The eD termination of Sugar Cane Quality in Louisiana by the Core Press Method." (1977). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3051. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3051 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zoeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 77-25,368 BIRKETT, Harold Sydney, 1940- THE DETERMINATION OF SUGAR CANE QUALITY IN LOUISIANA BY THE CORE PRESS METHOD. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.D., 1977 Engineering, chemical Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48io6 @ 1977 HAROLD SYDNEY BIRK ETT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE DETERMINATION OF SUGAR CANE QUALITY IN LOUISIANA BY THE CORE PRESS METHOD A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Chemical Engineering by Harold Sydney Birkett B.S., Louisiana State University, 1964 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1971 May, 1977 EXAMINATION AND THESIS REPORT Candidate: Harold Sydney Birkett Major Field: Chemical Engineering Title of Thesis: The Determination of Sugar Cane Quality in Louisiana by the Core Press Method. Approved: iuf Professor and Chairman Dean of the Graduate School EXAMINING COMMITTEE: Qprri j,. jLXTor6-c{£a**JL. Date of Examination: April 22, 1977 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author wishes to express his appreciation to the late Dr. John J. Seip, Professor of Chemical Engineering, for his guidance and counsel during these studies; and also to Dr. Joseph A. Polack, Professor of Chemical Engineering, for his assistance and suggestions in the presentation of the final results. The author is indebted to the management of Cinclare Central factory who willingly cooperated in the commercial portion of this study; to J & L Engineering Company who made available the commercial corer and hydraulic press; to the American Sugar Cane League who supported and funded the commercial portion of these studies; and to the Audubon Sugar Factory staff who assisted with the initial and semi-commercial studies. TABLE OP CONTENTS Pag x SUMMARY ...................................... 1 Elements of a Sampling System ........... 2 Outline of the Experimental Program . 2 The Conventional Louisiana Cane Sampling System ........... ..................... 3 The Core-Press Cane Sampling System . 4 Results .................................. 6 Conclusions .............................. 7 A GENERAL COVERAGE OF THE GROWTH, HARVEST AND CULTURE OF SUGAR CANE ....................... 10 Review of Literature ..................... 11 THE IDEAL CANE PAYMENT SYSTEM ............... 17 Inter-relationship between Cane Quality and Factory Efficiency....................... 18 Cane Sampling ..................... 23 OUTLINE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM ........ 25 THE HYDRAULIC PRESS ......................... 29 The Hydraulic Press....................... 29 Press Reproducibility..................... 32 Hydraulic Press Extraction Severity. 45 Constancy of Bagasse Analysis............. 47 S u m m a r y ............................... 49 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) CHAPTER Page VI CORE SAMPLING ................................... 50 The Core S a m p l e r ............................ 50 The Farrel Sample M i l l ...................... 54 Experimental Procedure .......................... 55 Variability of Cane Within the Consignment . 56 Comparison of the Conventional and Core-Farrel Sampling Methods with Commercial Milling. 67 The 1973 Studies ............................ 74 Variability of Cane Within the Consignment . 75 Comparative Cane Quality by Press, Farrel Mill, and Cold Digestion........................... 79 Comparison of Theoretically Recoverable Sugar from Core-Press Sample with the Farrel Mill Predicted Yield ................................ 83 Sugar Yield Calculation Methods.............. 84 Summary . ..... 88 VII PRESS RESPONSE TO TRASH ......................... 89 Experimental Procedure........................ 89 Bagasse % Ca n e ............................... 81 Fiber % Cane ................................. 99 Juice Purity ................................. 99 Pol % C a n e ................................... 195 Pol Extraction............................... 105 Bagasse Moisture ............................. H I Discussion of Press Response to Trash........ 115 Summary....................................... I20 iv TABLE OP CONTENTS (Continued) CHAPTER Page VIII COMMERCIAL SCALE CORE STUDIES ...................... 122 Procedure......................................... 123 Discussion of Results............................ 124 Direct Comparison of the Core and Conventional Sampling Methods................................ 125 Comparison of the Core and Conventional r Sampling Methods with the Factory Performance 128 Comparison of Core and Conventional Sampling Methods by Grower .............................. 129 Comparison of Core and Conventional Yields • . 136 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................... 138 APPENDIX ........................................................ 142 I NOMENCLATURE......................................... 142 II THE LOUISIANA CANE SAMPLING AND TESTING METHOD (CONVENTIONAL METHOD) .............................. 147 III THE PRESS METHOD..................................... 130 IV ANALYTICAL METHODS................................... 163 V SUPPLEMENTARY DATA FOR CHAPTER V I .................. 165 V I T A . 167 v LIST OF TABLES TABLE Page 1 Per Cent Coefficient of Variation of Parameters in Hydraulic Press Replicate . ^5 2 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 36 3 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 37 4 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 38 5 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 39 6 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 40 7 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 41 8 Reproducibility Rims on Blended Core Samples . 42 9 Reproducibility Rims on Blended Core Samples . 43 10 Reproducibility Runs on Blended Core Samples . 44 11 Average Pol Extraction and Fiber % Cane for 9 Reproducibility Runs................... 45 12 Average Fiber % Bagasse and Moisture % Bagasse for 9 Reproducibility Runs................... 48 13 Comparison of Predicted Yield from the Conventional and Core Sample Methods, lbs 96° Sugar/Gross Ton C a n e ..................... 57 14 Variability of Key Cane Quality Parameters among Core Samples from the Same Consignment. 62 15 Summary of the Average Standard Deviation and the Average Per Cent Coefficient of Variation of the Key Cane Quality Parameters for Three Core Samples in the Same Consignment......... 64 16 Comparison of the Per Cent Coefficient of Variation Between the Means of the Back, Middle, and Front Core Sample Points for the 7 Cane Deliveries shown in Table 1 4 ......... 66 17 Factory Mill Data.............................. 68 vi LIST OF TABLES (Continued)