ABB standard drives are helping sugar refineries in Russia improve process accuracy, reduce downtime and increase productivity by as much as 20 percent.

The drives are helping St Petersburg-based machinery and centrifuge manufacturer, Red Sugar, increase the operating performance of its sugar refinery customers in Russia's huge sugar producing market.

 

Traditionally, the Russian sugar industry has depended on basic DC (direct current) drives to control the centrifuges, and over time has adapted its production routines to deal with drive failures and process downtime.

“In the past, many sugar refineries preferred using basic drives equipment because it was easy to repair,” says sales manager Denis Kuharenko. “This attitude is now beginning to change. It is better to have machinery that doesn’t break down in the first place, than to make provisions for frequent failures and expected repair work.”

By switching to ABB low-voltage AC drives, Red Sugar has significantly improved the reliability and control accuracy of its centrifuges, resulting in shorter cycle times and higher output.

Sugar centrifuges process massecuite, a thick, concentrated compound of sugar crystals and syrup, at high speeds. Red Sugar uses a 250 kilowatt (kW) ABB standard drive to control the speed of the centrifuge, which starts at 50 rpm, accelerates to 1,100 rpm, and then settlles back to 50 rpm. The centrifuge separates the crystals from the syrup in a process cycle that takes about three minutes.

“Improved uptime increases productivity and is an easy way to raise the output of the plant, far easier than investing in more capacity,” said Dennis Kuharenko of Red Sugar

The accurate speed control of ABB's low-voltage AC drive reduces the amount of time needed for the separation. Shorter cycle time means higher throughput as more batches can be completed in a shift. It also means higher yield, as it prevents sugar from dissolving into the molasses by suspending the crystals in the liquid for a shorter time.

By using ABB drives, Red Sugar is helping its customers maximize uptime and minimize batch cycle time by accurately controlling centrifuge acceleration and deceleration. The result is an increase in production by as much as 20 percent, based on improved centrifuge efficiency alone.

“In future I doubt whether any sugar refinery will want to purchase equipment of the traditional design,” says Kuharenko, commenting on the huge benefits that the new centrifuge and AC drive solution is bringing to one of the world’s largest sugar producing markets.