SUGAR & DERIVATIVES
Serving the World Sugar Industry
1 Reliability through Experience
DE SMET ENGINEERS & FOCUSING ON CONTRACTORS PROFILE THE SUGAR INDUSTRY De Smet Engineers & Contractors De Smet Engineers & Contractors’ Relying on such solid experience (DSEC) is a privately held limited liability longstanding experience in the diffusion and knowledge, DSEC successfully company incorporated in Belgium of sugar from beet and cane has been complements its portfolio with since 1989. It has established an successfully transferred to all the Sugar Bioethanol and Biochemicals projects. international reputation as a general and Oligofructose sectors where our contractor and technology provider, expertise now ranges from feedstock Biomass is one of the most promising ISO 9001-2015 Certified, specialising handling and processing up to final Renewable Energy sources with a in the agro-industrial field in which product refining and conditioning. usage often limited by logistical issues, it is a fully integrated world class DSEC’s autonomy from equipment and DSEC is therefore concentrating provider of engineering, procurement suppliers allows us to select the best its efforts on offering comprehensive and construction services. It brings a possible technological and operational solutions for those biomasses whether comprehensive business solution that solutions with the aim of optimizing they are for the production of Green combines excellence in execution, safety performances, energy recovery and Electricity or Fermentable Sugars. (HSSE), cost containment, experience construction costs for the benefit of the and reliability with particular care towards investor. energy saving and sustainability. In addition to state-of-the-art projects, From conceptual study to plant our engineering skills combined with commissioning, DSEC has the ability our agro process general know-how and skill to successfully complete have been selected by major players large turnkey projects on brown- or in developing large scale industrial greenfields, all within the pre-established units from laboratory research and pilot budget and delivery time, in a variety of plants in the Speciality Sugars and Inulin geographical environments. production sectors.
2 3 Understanding where are bottlenecks Building your Plant Plant audits, preventing an existing facility of functioning to its highest level and what can be done to drastically improve as per your Debottlenecking its performances can only be done efficiently by analysing how the plant Requirements and Efficiency should be performing in its current configuration and what it could achieve if modifications were provided. SUGAR PLANTS TURNKEY CONSTRUCTION Improvement To do so, DSEC has developed a fully DSEC´s Contracting Services offer to its clients a wide variety of Integrated Predictive Simulation tool contractual setups ranging from Conceptual Engineering definition, (DSEC IPM®) running on MATLAB® Front End Engineering Design (FEED) to Full Turnkey construction and SIMULINK® software allowing to (EPC) or possibly “For & On-behalf” management (EPCM) to adapt simultaneously consolidate the Mass to every situation requirements. and Heat Balances as well as to predict the colour transfer throughout the DSEC also promotes Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) so that a growth of the sugar crystal layers. The common understanding between Investor and Contractor about DSEC IPM® can reproduce the plant project definition and risks mitigation can be established at the set-up and simulate the consequences earliest stages of the operation. of any planned modification with a view As for its other activities, DSEC is able to execute sugar related of improving plant performances further projects under the form of full EPC contracts and be familiar to an in-depth site audit: with all aspects of the project’s implementation. DSEC not only masters specific sugar techniques and technologies • Capacity Increase but also all related process auxiliaries, civil works, steel • Yield improvement structures, installation works, start-up and commissioning • Energy consumption improvement activities, including training of the client’s personnel. • Color optimization DSEC’s project design and construction management gives paramount importance to the respect of health It is based on Physical Parameters and and safety and environment norms (HSSE) as well as to Mathematic Models (no preset values technical efficiency and ease of operation. The monitoring or ratios) and provides data that can be of project cost, time schedule and performances is the used for the plant operation, covering essence of any EPC or EPCM commitment. the full process.
DSEC has developed proprietary technological and • Diffusion / Extraction thermodynamic programs that very accurately simulate • Juice Purification the operation of plants, from overall Heat & Mass • Juice Heating and Evaporation Balances down to unitary process operations. • Crystallization • Centrifugation In terms of design, DSEC uses a powerful 3D drawing • Drying and construction management tool (SmartPlan®) • Boiler and Power House that dramatically improves material purchasing reliability and site installation efficiency through a high level of prefabrication work.
4 5 Contributing to the Sugar Industry Development
BEET SUGAR FACTORY De Smet Engineers & Contractors’ DSEC is also capable of selecting the DSEC’s simulation program is of expertise in beet sugar starts at best available technology to be applied paramount importance at this stage so the beets reception yard, including for juice purification - with or without as to define the most efficient energy feedstock analysis, storage, handling, decalcification - as well as the selection set-up as well as to precisely size any washing and slicing before Sugar of units such as milk of lime preparation single equipment of the line. extraction of the juice by diffusion. and anhydrous carbonic gas production. DSEC pays particular attention to DSEC dedicates particular care to agronomic specificities, climatic and Further to diffusion, the juice has to be sugar drying, cooling, maturation local environmental aspects so as to filtered and processed into syrup in a and storage operations that are optimize the installation performances. multiple effects evaporation installation. critical for subsequent packing and This syrup is then treated in the commercialization of finished products. DSEC plays an important role in defining crystallization unit that generates sugar the most appropriate plant concept and allows the concentration of the so as to optimize its overall efficiency. remaining impurities in the molasses.
6 7 SUGAR REFINERY DSEC has dedicated special attention to the design of sugar refinery with particular emphasis on energetic efficiency and white sugar quality.
A considerable portion of the sugar market is located in areas where neither beet nor cane can be cultivated. Such markets can be fed by large bulk ships with raw cane sugar that needs to be further refined before being commercialized.
As the quality of the raw sugar available on the international market varies considerably depending on its origin, DSEC has developed alternative concepts to adapt the refinery design to the feedstock that is processed.
The selected alternative for a refined sugar production will be defined after analyzing the necessity of a raw sugar affination (washing) step before the mandatory re-melting operation. Different purification or possibly decolouration technologies will also be analyzed by DSEC so as to optimize capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX) in function of feedstock and finished products as well as of the local environment.
DSEC will also define and design the sugar drying and packaging facilities as well as all ancillary units as in any industrial facility. Particular attention will be given to energy and water savings and environment protection in general.
8 9 CANE SUGAR FACTORY SUGAR DERIVATIVES Cane sugar is produced by means of DSEC will select the most appropriate The design of all auxiliary equipment DSEC has considerable experience technologies rather similar to those methodology for extracting the juice and facilities that are inherent to any in the production of specialty sugars used in a beet sugar plant. from the cane after its first shredding. industrial facility is fully mastered by such as Pearl Sugar as well as in the The extraction operation will be DSEC. processing of Chicory into Inulin and However, the sugar cane plant first performed using mill tandem or cane Oligofructose where its know-how in the process sections are totally different: diffusion. Bagasse will be used as fuel As naturally produced sugar in a cane sugar industry has been a major asset for whereas sugar beet is sowed and can for the plant combined heat and power mill still contains some impurities and helping investors to develop new products be harvested after ± 6 months, cane generation (CHP) that will generally has a particular coloration, it needs to and define the adequate industrial facility for takes longer to develop but grows back export electricity on the public grid. be refined. The refining operation can their efficient and reliable production. after it has been cut and can therefore The choice between mill tandem and be designed by DSEC: either for a single be harvested several consecutive years diffuser will be highly dependent on mill that will produce refined sugar or as before being replanted. Cane harvesting plant capacity, cane characteristics, a stand-alone refinery fed with imported takes place during a much longer period expected extraction... DSEC has a raw sugar and located closer to the that beets with direct consequences on perfect knowledge of these operations consumer market. the mill sizing as well as on its reliability. as well as of subsequent technologies for cane sugar production, i.e. purification, evaporation, crystallization, etc.
10 11 Supplying Highly Efficient Equipment
SUGAR DIFFUSION DSEC PROPRIETARY WITH DE SMET DIFFUSER EQUIPMENT FOR SUGAR The De Smet Diffuser is, up until now, When compared to mills tandem, sugar Except for some key components, the De PRODUCTION the diffuser having by far the largest diffusion with De Smet Diffuser presents Smet Diffuser is generally manufactured Thanks to its broad and established number of references. many advantages amongst which: locally so that transport costs and experience in the sugar industry, import duties can be considerably De Smet Engineers & Contractors The De Smet Diffuser has also proved • Better extraction yield (usually 1% reduced while providing activity for local has been naturally led to question to be capable of processing alternatively higher than mills) workshops. and rethink important aspects of the both beet and cane in areas where • Performances kept throughout the crystallisation process. This results tropical beet can be grown so as to campaign (no mechanical wear and in providing today’s market with extend the plant operation after the tear influencing the extraction yield) significant performance improvement cane campaign. It can also operate on • Improved juice quality with of the whole refining process as well as bagasse from a first mill so as to allow consequent reduction of losses at with a large range of optimized, robust segregation between mill and diffuser filtration stage and proven process components. juices while reaching capacities of • Slow motion equipment 20,000 TCPD. • Perfect counter-current operation In addition to enhanced process When compared to mills tandem, sugar • Reduced energy consumption design, DSEC is now able to propose • Reduced maintenance cost to its customers several equipments • Ease of operation and maintenance that can be combined so as to improve the overall operation of their plants. The current range of equipment includes mainly:
• Seeding systems • Vacuum Pans • Crystallizers • Masse-Cuite Distributors • Melters
Energy consumption, ease of maintenance, cleaning practicality, extended lifetime,... have been carefully taken into account besides pure performance criteria in order achieve perfect integration of these items into new or existing refineries. Retrofit and improvement of existing process vessels can also be contemplated by DSEC.
12 13 DSEC Key References
TAFRAOUI SUGAR REFINERY - ALGERIA BIOWANZE - BELGIUM • Contract: Engineering, equipment supply, • Contract: Turn-key construction site supervision, commissioning of a greenfield bioethanol production plant and overall management • Customer: Biowanze s.a. - CropEnergies • Customer: Grande Raffinerie Oranaise de - Südzucker Sucre - Berrahal Group • Capacity: 300,000 m³ per year of bioethanol • Capacity: 1,000 TPD white sugar expandable to 2,000 TPD
N’GAOUS SUGAR REFINERY - ALGERIA DINTELOORD BEET PLANT – NL
• Contract: Engineering, equipment supply, • Contract: EPCM supply of a complete beet site supervision, commissioning washing plant and overall project management • Customer: Suiker Unie - Cosun • Customer: N´Gaous Sugar Spa • Capacity: 28,000 TPD beet - Groupe Mazouz • Capacity: 2,000 TPD raw sugar
HODEIDAH SUGAR REFINERY - YEMEN MAKENI PLANT - SIERRA LEONE
• Contract: Engineering, equipment supply, • Contract: EPCM supply of a complete cane site supervision and commissioning processing line for the production of ethanol • Customer: Yemen Company for Sugar • Customer: Addax Bioenergy Refining - Hayel Saeed Anam Group • Capacity: 80,000 m³ per year of bioethanol • Capacity: 2,000 TPD white sugar
14 15 www.dsengineers.com 16