Proc. Aust. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 23: 457-460 A MODEL TO ESTIMATE MILLING UNIT THROUGHPUT By G.A. KENT Sugar Research Institute, Mackay, Qld Abstract A model of the fibre flows through a milling train has been developed. The model includes the flow of fibre suspended in juice streams that is recirculated along the milling train as part of the imbibition system. By including the recirculated fibre, the model is capable of estimating the fibre rate being processed by each milling unit. Using typical fibre contents for all fibre streams, the second mill is identified as the milling unit that processes the greatest fibre rate. This mill processes the fibre in the expressed juice from the first three mills. While it is not necessary to know the amount of fibre recirculation for most milling train calculations, it is necessary to account for fibre recirculation when comparing factory results to outputs from fundamental milling models. Consequently, this model is likely to be of benefit to ongoing research to better 2001 understand the milling process. Introduction When undertaking calculations for the milling train, it is usual to assume that each milling unit processes the same fibre rate. This assumption is made when calculating compactions and mill settings, measuring and predicting milling per- formance, estimating roll loads and torques and milling unit capacity. While the assumption is convenient, itis not strictly correct. The assumption that each milling unit pro cesses the same fibre rate is based on an assump- tion that the amount of fibre expressed with juice, and subsequently recycled though the milling train in the imbibition system, is negligible. To the author’s knowledge, this assumption has not previously been explored, In this paper, a fibre mass balance model is described and explored to determine the effect that fibre recirculation has on the fibre rate proc- essed through individual milling units. This model has similar functionality to the extraction mode] presented by Wienese (1990). Where Wienese used the fibre recirculation concept to better define the juice flows in the milling process, the ‘model her¢ is used to better define the fibre flows. assessing Fibre mass balance model Figure 1 shows the fibre flows in a five-mill milling train, In the figure. ‘c’ represents cane, “b’ represents bagasse, {j’ represents expressed juice, ‘js’ represents the return stream from the juice screen. ‘mj’ represents mixed juice and ‘i’ represents added water. The numbers 1 to 5 refer to mills 1 to 5 respectively. Note that the return stream from the juice screen is shown to dis- charge before #2 mill, the most common (but not universal) position. In total, there are 14 streams included in the model: cane, added water, bagasse and expressed juice from the five milling units, the return stream from the juice screen and mixed juice. Mass must be conserved around each milling unit and around the juice screen. The following equations apply for the fibre mass flows: Qer = Quis + Que a) Quis + Qe + Qar = Quar + Qiar @Q) Quor + Qar = Quar + Qiar @) Quar + Qisr = Quer + Qiar @ Quit + Qir = Qusr + Qsr ©) Que + Qe = Qe + Qnie (6) where Quer presents the fibre flow for a stream x, where x is one of the streams listed in Figure 1. A similar set of equations applies for the total mass flow. Note that these equations ignore spillage of fibre and juice that could affect the fibre and total flow equations and evaporation of water from the milling train that could affect the total flow equations. For stream x. the fibre fraction (f,) is deter- mined from f= QuiQ where Q, is the total mass flow in stream x. a KEYWORDS: Milling Train, Fibre Recirculation, Mass Balance, Model, Fibre Rate. 457Kent, G.A., Proc. Aust. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 23; 457-460 2001 v mj . js —4/ > i bl b2 Lei b4 bS j3 j4 j5 Legend: © cane i added water by — bagasse for mill ’y’ jy expressed juice for mill y" mj mixed juice return stream from juice screen Fig. 1—Milling train fibre flows. For each of the 14 streams, the model accounts for three parameters: the total flow, the fibre flow and the fibre content of the flow. Consequently, there are a total of 42 parameters in the model. Generally. the cane rate, the added water rate and the 14 fibre contents will be inputs to the model, leaving a total of 26 unknown parameters, These 26 unknown parameters are determined by solving 26 equations: equations 1 to 6 which define the fibre flows, the equivalent six equations that define the total flows and equation 7 for the 14 streams. Once the mode! equations are solved, equations 8 to 12 can be used to calculate the total fibre rates to be processed by the individual milling units (Qry¢ for mill y): Que = Qer @) Qee = Quit + Qor + Qsr ° Qpr= Qar + Gar (10) Qiur = Qhar + Qsr ay Qssr = Qe + Qe (12) Input parameter values Routine factory performance data can gener- ally provide most of the required input parameters 458 for the model: the cane and added water rates and the fibre content of each of the bagasse streams. The fibre content of mixed juice is also readily available from many factories. The less well- known parameters are the fibre contents of the mill expressed juice streams and the fibre content of the return stream from the juice screen. ‘Wienese (1994) documented the fibre content, of expressed juice from each milling unit in a South African factory. The average value was approximately 3% with a range from 1.56% to 4.45%. Brotherton and Noble (1982) reported the fibre content of the return stream from the juice sereen to be about 8% based on measurements taken in three Australian factories. The values ranged from 5.9% to 9.9%. Measurements of the fibre content of expressed juice and of the return stream from the juice screen were made by SRI staff at Victoria Mill in 1997. Fibre contents of 1.8%, 1.9% and 2.5% were recorded for the expressed juice from B3 mill, B4 mill and BS mill respectively. The fibre content of the return stream from the juice soreen was measured to be 15.5%.Kent, G.A., Proc. Aust. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 23: 457-460 2001 Results from the model The mass balance model described above was used to determine the fibre rate processed by each milling unit jn a five-mill train. Table 1 shows the parameter input values used in the analysis, ‘Table 1—Standard values for milling unit fibre rate analysis. Parameter Values] [Cane fibre content (%) 14 #1 mill bagasse fibre content (2%) 30 #2 mill bagasse fibre content (%) 36 #3 mill bagasse fibre content (%) 4 #4 mill bagasse fibre content (%) } 44 #5 mill bagasse fibre content (%) a7 All milis expressed juice fibre content (%)| 2, 3 Retum stream from juice screen fibre 8, 12 content (%) Mixed juice fibre content (%6) 0.2,0.3 Added water % fibre 225 | A 23 numerical factorial experiment was con- ducted to investigate the effect of the juice fibre content on the fibre rate of bagasse entering each milling unit. The factors in the experiment were the fibre coment of the expressed juice (fiy where yis the mill number) which was assumed the same for all mills, the fibre content of the return stream from the juice screen (fj,) and the fibre content of mixed juice (fj). The two Jevels of each factor used in the experiment are shown in Table 1. The fibre rate results are presented in Table 2 for a #1 mill fibre rate of 100 (arbitrary units). The results show that #2 mill processes the highest fibre rate. up to 29% more than the first mill. The following two mills process the next greatest fibre rate, up to 16% more than the first mill. The final mill also processes up to 6% more than the first mill ‘The milling unit fibre rates are most strongly influenced by the fibre content of expressed juice. The fibre content of the return stream from the juice screen also has an effect on the milling unit fibre rate. The fibre content of mixed juice has little effect. Discussion of results It is not surprising to find that #2 mill proc- esses the highest fibre rate. This mill processes the expressed juice from #1 mill, #2 mill and #3 mill. The third and fourth mills process the next greatest quamity of fibre because they process the expressed juice from one milling unit each. ‘As expected, increasing the fibre content of expressed juice increases the fibre rate through mills 2. 3 and 4, the mills using expressed juice for imbibition. The final mill also processes a higher fibre rate. While the final mill does not use expressed juice for imbibition, it does require a higher fibre rate in the feed so that the delivery fibre rate can be maintained with the higher fibre loss in expressed juice. The reduction in fibre rate through #2 mill as the fibre content of the return stream from the juice screen increases is an interesting result. To increase the fibre content of the return stream from the juice screen, the model reduced the #2 mill expressed juice flow rate. This reduction in flow rate caused a corresponding reduction in fibre rate in the #2 mill expressed juice, and, con sequently, the return stream from the juice screen and the feed rate entering #2 mill. When #2 mill is at its throughput limit, the model suggests that milling train capacity could be increased if some or all of the return stream from the juice screen was directed to #3 mill. This would have the effect of reducing the number of recirculating fibre streams to #2 mill from three to one or two. There is, however, likely to be an extraction penalty from diverting fibre past #2 mill since there is then one less opportunity to remove pol from the fibre. Table 2—Etfect of fibre in juice on milling unit fibre rate, | Fibre content (%) Fibre rate (% of #1 mil fibre rate) Expressed a Mixed #2 mil #3 mil #4 mill #5 mill ice | screen retum | juice 3 8 02 129 16 115 108 03 128 116 114 106 2 02 124 116 115 106 03 123 116 114 108 2 8 02 15 110 109 104 03 115 109 108 103 12 02 114 110 109 104 | 03 113, 109 108 198 459