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The SRI Jigger Tubes System is distinguished from traditional jigger pipe
installations in these important ways:
The jigger tube perforations are small enough to virtually eliminate back-flow of
molasses or massecuite, avoiding:
o The need for non-return valves.
o Blockages of pipework and valving.
A wider distribution of very small bubbles results in:
o Better circulation improvement.
o Minimal risk of tube plate erosion.
The SRI system utilises noxious gases withdrawn from the calandria of the pan
and places negligible load on the condenser. (Alternatively, process steam or
vapour may be used.)
Jigger tubes are 316 stainless steel, 76.2 mm OD, 1.6 mm wall.
Perforations are 0.2 mm diameter with about 100,000 holes per lineal metre of
tube.
Standard tube length 1,500 mm.
1
o Shorter lengths quoted and supplied on an individual project basis.
o Length recommendations for specific pans allow for cutting and
welding, joining to flanges, etc.
The SRI Jigger Tubes System is typically fed with noxious gases (incondensible
gases) withdrawn from the calandria noxious gas venting system. The jigger tubes
are positioned under the calandria, in a pattern designed to distribute a multitude of
small gas bubbles into the massecuite over a wide area, at a position that maximises
the enhancement of the massecuite circulation. Some vapour accompanies the
noxious gases and this passes into the massecuite to boost circulation further.
The jigger system would generally operate efficiently on flow rates of gases and
vapour at ~15 kg/h/m3 for C massecuite and ~10 kg/h/m3 for high-grade massecuite
pans.
Some poorly performing or key production pans will already have a jigger system
installed. Most such systems inject the jigger feed in localised regions with limited
distribution. This sometimes causes erosion of the tube plate and calandria tubes
above the jigger feed locations.
The SRI Jigger Tubes System can be installed as a replacement system, providing
better distribution of the jigger feed and reducing the erosion of the bottom tube
plate and calandria tubes.
The SRI Jigger Tubes System is designed to inject the noxious gases/vapour to
enhance circulation where it is generally lowest:
In fixed calandria batch pans, towards the outer periphery of the pan, which
also represents the largest calandria tube area per unit radial distance in an
annular segment of the pan; and
2
In floating calandria batch pans and horizontal continuous pans with the
calandria on the longitudinal axis of the pan, towards the centre of the pan,
farthest away from the downtake.
Figure 3.1 Illustration of the benefits of the SRI Jigger Tubes System on
circulation in a batch pan.
3
o One noxious gas/vapour inlet is required per row per 6 metres of length.
For longer rows, additional inlets should be provided.
o The noxious gas/vapour should be sourced from the calandria of the pan
module where the jigger row is installed.
o Where baffles separating cells/compartments interfere, cut a neat hole in
the compartment wall to accommodate the jigger tubes and secure them
to prevent vibration.
General guidelines:
o Tube location should take into account:
A) Clearance between the pan floor and the bottom tube plate of the
calandria.
B) Avoidance of feed inlets, cutovers, discharge openings and
transducers.
o The vertical position of the tubes should allow 50+ mm gap under the
tube to the pan floor, to facilitate drainage of massecuite on discharge.
o The vertical position should also allow adequate distance for the injected
noxious gases to be widely distributed between the top of the jigger
tubes and the bottom of the calandria.
o The piping inlets to the jigger system will provide support for the tubes.
However other supports/saddles will be required, e.g. SS flat plate or
stools. These can be bolted or welded in place.
o No condensate outlets are required for the jigger tube sections.
o Any residual gas or liquid should be sucked into the vessel under
vacuum. However, provision should be made to allow the noxious gas
feed piping to be drained should the need arise (e.g. for maintenance).
Figure 4.1 shows an example of the jigger system designed for a typical 120 t fixed
calandria pan. The jigger tube ring, each side ~1272 mm, is located on a PCD ~75%
of the width of the calandria. The 12-sided ring is easily flanged or welded in sections
and offers a near-circular shape.
4
Flanges between ring
sections. Alternatively
can be welded insitu.
Downtake wall
Outer wall of
pan
Calandria
Figure 4.1 Details of the SRI Jigger Tubes System installed in the base of a
fixed calandria pan.
5
Flanges between ring
sections. Alternatively
can be welded insitu.
Downtake wall
Outer wall of
pan
Figure 4.2 Plan view of the SRI Jigger Tubes System installed in the base of a
fixed calandria pan with an alternative arrangement of flanging.
Restrictions such as feed inlets or the presence of openings for cutover pipes may
require installation on a smaller or larger PCD (<66% or >75% of the width of the
calandria) to avoid interference. A larger PCD requires more jigger tubes and
provides less clearance overhead of the tubes. A smaller PCD requires fewer jigger
tubes and provides more clearance overhead of the tubes. However, it will provide
less boost to circulation as the noxious gas/vapour will not be injected as close to the
outer periphery of the pan.
6
Syrup /molasses feed risers
(6 off 50NB) with 180 mm
caps to protect the calandria
tube plate sections.
Discharge door
Downtake wall
For some pans, the limited room underneath the calandria may result in the jigger ring
obstructing/disrupting the massecuite flow patterns within the pan. Two alternatives
have been designed for these circumstances:
Construction of half jigger pipes cut longitudinally and attached on to flat plate
and welded to the pan floor. The half pipe protrudes into the gap between the
bottom tube plate and the base of the pan to a lesser extent than if a full pipe
were used. Benefits include holding back less material on the uphill side of the
jigger (if installed as a ring) when the vessel is drained. There is also more space
for repairs and maintenance in the outer region of the calandria. Disadvantages
include greater system manufacturing costs; and there are many more welds and
joins which increase the likelihood of leaks etc. Accordingly, the half pipe
installation is recommended only in special circumstances.
Arrangement of the jigger tubes in a star pattern. While this provides adequate
coverage to the contents within the pan, more noxious gas/vapour feed risers
and inlets (plus isolation valves) are needed. This requires more welding on the
bottom of the pan, increasing the number of sites at risk of corrosion. An
external feed ring is also required to provide uniform flow of noxious
gas/vapour to the multiple inlets. The star type jigger system is shown in Figure
4.4.
7
Downtake
Jigger tubes
External noxious
gas/vapour feed ring
Calandria
Noxious gas/vapour
Manual riser and inlet
isolation valve
Figure 4.4 Details of the star pattern SRI Jigger Tubes System design for a
fixed calandria pan.
As most floating calandria batch pans have a centre steam entry (which doubles as a
support structure for the calandria), the width of the calandria is specified as the
distance from the outer edge of the steam entry (or the surround pipe) to the downtake
wall. For floating calandria pans with a non-centre steam entry, the width of the
calandria is measured from the outside of the blank tube plate on the centreline of the
pan to the downtake wall.
8
The system in Figure 5.1 comprises a ring located on a centreline ~27% of the width
of the calandria and requires four lengths of jigger tube of 1500 mm each to be cut
into ~750 mm lengths to allow a more circular eight sided ring to be manufactured.
The jigger ring can be flanged or welded in sections (Figure 5.1 shows the jigger
tubes welded together).
The decision to flange or weld the jigger ring will depend on whether the jigger ring
will be installed in situ. This is dependent on the clearance of the downtake and
access through the manholes/discharge openings.
Jigger ring
th
id
w
ia
Downtake
ndr
wall la
Ca
Steam entry
Jigger inlets
(2 off)
CALANDRIA
Figure 5.1 Details of the SRI Jigger Tubes System installed in a floating
calandria batch pan.
9
Restrictions such as feed inlets or cutover pipes at the location of the jigger ring may
require its installation on a larger PCD to avoid interference. Ideally the PCD would
be less than 33% of the width of the calandria. Installing the ring on a smaller PCD
may not be suitable as the jigger system will be very close to the centre steam entry.
Installing the ring on a larger PCD would require more jigger tubes and likely be less
effective in boosting circulation.
For floating calandria pans where interference with discharge openings and/or
cutovers exists, a disjointed ring arrangement could be designed with each section
requiring its own inlet as illustrated in Figure 5.2. The external noxious gas/vapour
feed pipe work would need to be designed to provide uniform flow to the multiple
inlets.
Jigger inlets
h
(2 off)
dt
wi
ria
nd
la
Ca
Cutover
pipe
Discharge
door
Jigger sections
(2 off)
Pan feed inlets
Downtake
wall
Outer wall of pan
Figure 5.2 Plan view of an alternative SRI Jigger Tubes System design for a
floating calandria pan.
10
6. Horizontal continuous pans - Design examples
For horizontal continuous pans without a longitudinal partition to divide the
compartments, a single row of jigger tubes, preferably located underneath the
calandria and axially along the centreline, is recommended. This arrangement is
shown in Figure 6.1.
The jigger rows can extend for the length of a module in the pan (length reduced by a
small distance at each end of the module). Depending on the design of the pan, this
may involve providing cutouts for the jigger tubes to pass through compartment walls.
Note:- A module is defined as a section of the pan that contains a separate calandria.
Some pans, e.g., FCB pans with heating tubes that extend the full length of the pan
comprise one module. SRI continuous pans typically comprise two or three modules.
Feed inlet or cutover pipe restrictions can be overcome by positioning the rows of
jigger tubes around them.
Steam entry
Calandria width
Calandria
Outer wall of
pan
Inlet for
jigger
Figure 6.1 End view of the SRI Jigger Tubes System installed as a single row
on the longitudinal axis in a horizontal continuous pan.
11
Steam entry
Calandria width
Calandria
Outer wall of
12-15% of pan
Jigger tubes Inlet for
calandria
run axially jigger
width
Figure 6.2 End view of the SRI Jigger Tubes System installed as a double row
in a horizontal continuous pan.
12
7. Design of inlet piping
The more common options for installing the inlets to the SRI Jigger Tubes System are
illustrated in Figure 7.1 and include:
(a) Welding a mild steel pipe (80NB) and tee piece (80NB) at the inlet location with
mild steel flanges on the ends of the tee piece. A mild steel flange is also attached
to the mild steel pipe external to the pan to connect to the noxious gas/vapour feed
pipe. This may not be necessary if the noxious gas/vapour feed pipe is hard
plumbed. The jigger tubes with their own stainless steel flanges can be attached to
the flanges on the ends of the tee piece as illustrated in Figure 7.1. This option
eliminates the need to weld stainless steel to the mild steel pan floor. Suitable
flanges would be Table D or Table E.
(b) Welding a mild steel pipe (80NB) and flange just inside the pan at the inlet
location. A mild steel flange is also attached to the pipe external to the pan to
connect to the noxious gas/vapour feed pipe. A stainless steel flange and tube tee
piece (76.2 mm) can be attached to the mild steel flange inside the pan as
illustrated in Figure 7.1. The jigger tubes are welded to each side of the stainless
steel tube tee piece. This option does not require welding stainless steel to the
mild steel pan floor. Its suitability will depend on the available clearance between
the pan floor and the calandria at the inlet location. Suitable flanges would be
Table D or Table E.
(c) A circular or square section is removed from the pan floor at the jigger inlet
location. A thicker (36 mm) mild steel plate is then welded to replace the removed
section. The thicker plate has tappings drilled to allow a stainless steel flange
connected to the jigger tube system to be bolted to the pan floor. The thicker plate
will make it easier for welding inside the pan and also has a flat base rather than
the slightly curved surface of the pan floor. Suitable flanges would be Table D or
Table E.
The noxious gas/vapour feed risers in the pan for the jigger system can be of a slightly
smaller diameter than the 80NB specified in Figure 7.1. Standard 80NB tee pieces
also do not need to be used for the jigger inlets. A non-standard 80NB tee piece
utilising smaller inlet sizes such as a 65NB or 50NB connection for the noxious
gas/vapour inlet piping should be sufficient for some installations. Alternatively the
noxious gas/vapour feed pipe can be welded into the bottom of the jigger tube thus
forming a tee piece.
13
Calandria Calandria
Stainless steel
Mild steel Jigger tube welded
flange Stainless steel
flange tee piece 76.2mm to tee piece
Stainless steel
Jigger Mild steel flange
Mild steel
tube tee piece 80NB flange
Mild steel
Pan floor Pan floor pipe 80NB
(a) (b)
Calandria
Pan floor
Rotated and
enlarged
Stainless steel
flange
Mild steel
Pan floor plate with taps
Mild steel
pipe 80NB
Mild steel flange
(external to pan)
(c)
Figure 7.1 Details of installation options for the inlets of the SRI Jigger Tubes
System.
14
8. Construction and installation
Figure 8.1 shows a typical layout for transferring the noxious gas/vapour from the
calandria to the jigger system in the base of a fixed calandria batch pan. The
arrangement of the pipe work connections for floating calandria batch pans and
horizontal continuous pans is similar.
TO CONDENSER or
ATMOSPHERE
NOXIOUS GAS /
STEAM LINE
VALVE FOR
MAX. BOILING LEVEL REGULATION OF
THE NOXIOUS
GAS/VAPOUR FLOW
CALANDRIA
VALVE FOR
EACH INLET
TO OTHER INLETS
OF JIGGER SYSTEM
Figure 8.1 Proposed valving and instrumentation for the SRI Jigger Tubes
System.
A noxious gas/vapour pipe will need to be installed from the takeoff point (source)
outside the pan and above the calandria to beneath the pan and split to the inlet/s of
the jigger system. The pipe may need to be insulated for safety reasons.
The suggested installation procedure involves using a manual valve (i.e. globe/gate
valves) close to the noxious gas source (positioned conveniently for the operator) and
other valve/s (i.e. ball valves) close to the noxious gas/vapour inlet/s on the base of
the pan as shown in Figure 8.1. The two sets of valves can be used to isolate the jigger
system from the noxious gas/vapour source and the pan, if required.
The valve close to the noxious gas source will enable adjustment of the quantity of
noxious gas/vapour fed to the pan. The other valve/s should be located as close as
possible to the noxious gas/vapour inlets on the bottom of the pan for isolation
reasons. During normal operation these bottom valve/s will remain fully open.
The bottom valve/s close to the noxious gas/vapour inlets do not need to be closed
between pan cycles. If the jigger system is isolated, necessary pipe work should
15
allow the noxious gas/vapour line to be vented to its previous destination (i.e. to the
condenser or headspace) or to atmosphere.
In constructing and installing the jigger system into a vacuum pan the following
procedure is recommended:
1. Determine the exact design and location of the jigger system within the pan,
including the type of inlet design.
2. Draw/sketch the jigger system to be installed within the pan to check clearances
within the pan underneath the calandria and interference with feed inlets,
discharge openings, cutover pipe work, instrumentation etc.
3. Construct the jigger ring and lay the ring out external to the pan. The sections of
the jigger tube system should be connected as if they were installed inside the
pan. (i.e flanges connected or if the ring is to be welded in situ, then spot welds
should hold the jigger tube sections together. (Note: The jigger tubes can be cut
and welded through the perforated section. The splatter from welding will close
off some perforations but the effect on the operation of the jigger system is
negligible because of the large number of holes in the adjacent section.)
4. Based on the layout of the jigger ring, accurately measure and locate the centres
for the inlets in the pan base.
5. The inlet holes to the base of the pan can be cut (drilled) and the inlets attached
to the pan base.
6. The layout for the noxious gas/vapour feed pipe work should be determined to
ensure limited congestion around and underneath the pan and a similar flow rate
of noxious gas/vapour feed is provided to each of the jigger inlets. This will be
achieved by installing a symmetrical pipe arrangement to the noxious gas inlets
under the pan. This will include providing an easily accessible manual valve
close to the noxious gas/vapour source, isolation valves beneath the pan close to
each jigger inlet and a socket close to a jigger inlet for calibration
measurements.
7. The noxious gas/vapour feed pipe work can then be connected to the jigger inlet
at the base of the pan. This will include installation of the manual valves and
measurement socket near the inlet.
8. Safety concerns may require the noxious gas/vapour pipe work to be insulated.
The noxious gas/vapour source should be isolated during completion of this pipe
work.
9. The jigger tube system can be installed and connected in the pan. This will
include providing appropriate supports/saddles for the tubes. All welded
surfaces should be cleaned and ground smooth on completion.
10. The settings of the manual valve to regulate the noxious gas/vapour feed will
need to be determined when the jigger system is commissioned.
16
Note: Steps 3 and 4 will not be necessary for the installation of jigger systems in
horizontal continuous pans.
If flanges are used in the design of the jigger feed inlets then blank flanges can be
connected on the flanges inside the pan. The construction and installation of the jigger
tube system in the pan can proceed independently of the construction and connection
of the noxious gas/vapour feed pipe work.
Welding advice
Generally mild steel and stainless steel materials can be welded with confidence to
provide structural support. The acidic nature of sugar solutions can cause a slight
galvanic reaction (corrosion) if mild steel and stainless steel surfaces are welded
together, thus reducing the life of welds. For this reason, the number of welds
between mild steel and stainless steel surfaces should be minimised.
Preparation of the welding site and materials is one of the most important factors to
ensure weld integrity. Preparation includes preheating the tubes before welding and
cleaning both the weld joint area and the filler metal. On completion of the welding
(stainless steel or mild steel) the slag and weld area should be ground smooth to
remove possible sites for initiation of corrosion.
Insulation kits for flanges and saddles can be utilised in the construction of the jigger
systems to ensure that mild steel and stainless steel surfaces do not need to be welded
together or contact each other. Other recommendations for construction of the jigger
systems include:
Drill the holes for the jigger inlets in the base of the pan rather than oxy-cutting
for a:
o Neater fit for the inlet pipe; and
o More structurally stable weld.
If connecting stainless steel pipe to the bottom of the perforated jigger pipe
(rather than a separate tee piece), use a hole saw rather than a plasma cutter to
cut the entry hole on the underside of the jigger tube to prevent splatter blinding
off some of the laser-cut perforations.
If welding stainless steel to mild steel surfaces, stronger welds are achieved with
thicker surfaces (e.g. for small sections of stainless steel flat plate to support the
jigger system above the pan floor). Full pen butt welds are preferred.
The flow rate of noxious gas/vapour to the jigger system is regulated by the manual
globe/gate valve set to an appropriate number of turns. A pressure differential of 10 to
20 kPa (between the noxious gas/vapour inlet and the pressure within the massecuite
at the base of the pan) during operation should give an adequate flow. The isolation
17
valves (for the inlets to the jigger system) at the base of the pan should be fully open
when the appropriate setting is determined for the regulating valve. The two isolation
valves are left open during normal operation.
During commissioning, the regulating valve should be adjusted to the setting that
ensures:
All incondensible gases are withdrawn from the calandria steam chest; and
The quantity of steam withdrawn with the noxious gases is not excessive.
It may be necessary to increase the steam flow rate to the calandria when operating
the jigger system if additional steam is withdrawn with the noxious gases to boost the
pans performance. This may be necessary in poorly performing (poorly designed)
pans.
The procedure for setting the noxious gas/vapour flow to the jigger system is as
follows:
1. The pan should be boiling massecuite at the normal operating vacuum. For
batch pans, the boiling level may be reasonably low when the initial set up is
undertaken (low level is not essential).
2. Open the jigger system isolation valves below the pan (fully open).
3. Open the valve on the socket near the feed inlet and check a vacuum exists at
this point.
4. Close the valve and install/connect a pressure transducer/gauge. The transducer
should be suitable for measuring sub-atmospheric pressures.
5. Through sight glasses on the pan, observe the boiling action and movement of
massecuite at the boiling surface from above the calandria to the downtake.
6. Close the valve directing the noxious gases from the calandria to the headspace
(condenser) or atmosphere and open the regulating manual valve a few turns.
7. Observe the pressure on the transducer. For a pressure difference across the
perforations of 15 kPa the pressure at the transducer will be typically 55 kPa abs
to 75 kPa abs (or a value ~15 kPa higher than the transducer reading when the
regulating manual valve is closed). It is necessary to calculate the desired
pressure for the particular installation. Appendix A provides the details of the
calculation procedure.
8. Observe the boiling action of the massecuite through the sight glasses. The
injection of the noxious gas/vapour through the jigger system will not cause a
massive eruption of massecuite. The changes will appear relatively gentle with
an improved circulation flow in the massecuite being evident.
Note: At higher operating levels in batch pans the main circulation path is below
the massecuite surface and changes to the jigger gas injection are likely to be
less visible through the sight glasses.
9. When the batch pan is at the full condition and is nearing heavy up, the required
pressure value (for 15 kPa difference across the jigger perforations) should be
calculated and the regulating manual valve adjusted to achieve this pressure.
The setting of the valve (number of turns of opening) should be determined and
noted. If possible, examine the boiling action in the pan (generally difficult
when batch pans are full).
18
Note: For batch pans, it is generally preferable to set the noxious gas/vapour
flow (by setting the opening of the regulating manual valve to provide a 15 kPa
pressure difference) when the pan is at the pan full, near heavy up condition as
this is the condition for which the boost to circulation is most important and
beneficial.
10. Leave the regulating manual valve in its current position and the valves below
the pan should be fully open.
11. For the next pan strike observe the boiling in the pan with the regulating manual
valve at this opening. If the boiling action looks satisfactory then the
commissioning of the jigger system is completed.
12. Remove the pressure transducer (optional).
13. If further adjustments are thought necessary, repeat the set up procedure. For
example, operation with a 20 kPa difference in pressure could be trialled to
select the preferred operating set up.
Note: For horizontal continuous pans, with constant and lower static level of
massecuite above the jigger tubes, the jigger system will operate effectively at a lower
pressure difference across the perforations (e.g. 10 kPa difference in pressure may be
appropriate).
Automatic control of the pressure differential is not required and once the setting of
the manual regulating valve is determined to provide a pressure differential of 10 to
20 kPa the valve can be left in this position. There is no need to change the setting of
the valve.
The individual valves on the noxious gas/vapour feed inlets can be used for isolation
when the jigger system is turned off. Experience with the system in vacuum pans
shows that there is negligible flow of syrup back into the jigger pipes and so these
valves would be left open apart for exceptional circumstances, e.g., pan shut down
during a maintenance stop.
19
Address: PO Box 1926
Hornsby-Westfield 1635
Australia
e-mail: admin@actionlaser.com.au
20
Appendix A Setting the appropriate flow rate of noxious gases/vapour
(For Clients)
21
Example of pressure differential calculation for a fixed calandria batch pan.
(a) Determine the pressure on the top of the jigger tube at the bottom of pan (labeled
Pmass in Figure A.1). The calculation requires the vacuum pressure (Pvacuum),
level of massecuite in the pan above the top of the calandria, and distance of the
top of the jigger tube below the top of the calandria to be measured or
determined.
(b) Determine the target pressure (assuming a 15 kPa pressure differential from
inside to outside the jigger tube) in the noxious gas/vapour feed inlet to the
jigger system (as measured at the socket close to the inlet and labeled Pjigger in
Figure A.1).
Figure A.1 shows the typical arrangement of the jigger system in a batch fixed
calandria pan.
TO CONDENSER
or ATMOSPHERE
1000 mm
CALANDRIA
1000 mm
300 mm
Pmass
VALVE FOR
EACH INLET
TO OTHER INLETS
OF JIGGER SYSTEM Pjigger
Variables:
1
Calculations:
Ignoring the effect of vapour bubbles in the massecuite, the density of massecuite is
assumed to be 1.45 t/m3.
Static Pressure due to head of massecuite on top of the jigger tube = density of
massecuite * gravity * height
Static Pressure = 1.45 t/m3 * 9.8 m/s2 * (1+1.3) m = 33 kPa