Steady state modeling and simulation of an industrial sugar continuous crystallizer

The profile of supersaturation along a continuous crystallizer of sugar factories, is the decisive factor that determines the performance of this apparatus. In order to control this profile. a mathematical model was developed taking into account the main physicochemical phenomena involved in crystallization process. The model is based on flow pattern, which was assumed and validated against plant measurements using a tracer test. The steady state mathematical model developed describes the most important aspects of the crystallizer behavior in each compartment: supersaturation, crystal size distribution and flow rate of the product crystals. The model can also describe the undesirable behavior such as dissolution and nucleation. Validation of the developed model was performed using industrial data. A parametric sensitivity study confirmed that the syrup supply distribution is the main variable that should be manipulated to achieve good performance for the crystallizer. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.