winter fuel training

30,000 TONNES PER ANNUMWINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

forMALAYSIAN PALM OIL BOARD

&TITIAN ASLI SDN BHD

WINTER FUEL BIODIESEL PLANT

Topics

• What is winter fuel

• Process description

• Plant description

• Operating instructions


WHAT IS WINTER FUEL


Normal grade palm biodiesel

• Palm methyl esters (PME) produced from RBD palm oil or palm olein

• Melting point ≅ 15°C

• At low temperatures

Normal palm biodiesel will start to gel

The diesel engine will stall

• Suitable only for countries with hot climate


Winter grade palm biodiesel

• Liquid esters produced by fractionation of normal grade palm biodiesel

• Pour point ≅ –21 to 0°C

• Definition of pour pointThe lowest temperature at which movement of the fuel can be detected when the sample container is tilted


PROCESS DESCRIPTION


RecirculationTo filter press

Hot water

Chilled water

Water return

Ester feed

RecirculationSteam

Stage 1Preheating of the feedstock

to 40°C

Stage 2Cooling and crystallization

according to a cooling curveFractionation process


Stearin

Washing Olein Squeezing

Core Blow

Recirculation

Stage 3Filtration to separate

liquid ester (olein) from solid ester (stearin)


Typical crystallization cooling curve

Time (hour)

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

Water Ester

40°C

Filtration : Feeding step

• Olein passes through the filter cloth and out of the filter via the filtrate channel

• Stearin is retained by the filter cloth, forming a cake which fills the filter chamber


Feed fromcrystallizer

Olein

Stearin

Filtration : Squeezing step

• Inflation of the flexible membrane with olein

• The inflated membrane presses on the stearincake thus forcing out olein trapped in the cake


Olein for squeezing

Filtration : Cake discharge step

• Blowing of feed channel and filtrate channel with compressed air

• The drip pan and filter are opened and the stearin cake drops into the melting tank


Drip Pan


PLANT DESCRIPTION


To filter press

Plant 1 - Crystallizers


Plant 1 - Filtration

Cold Room


To filter press

Plant 2 - Crystallizers

Hot waterfrom P110

Chilled waterfrom P132


Plant 2 - Filtration


Utility Section

Hot Water Tank

Chilled Water Tank

Glycol Chiller

Hot Water (80-90°C) to Plant

Chilled Water (minus 15°C)

to Plant

HOT WATER SYSTEM

CHILLED WATER SYSTEM


Plant 1 (12 crys)

Plant 2 (3 crys)

Utility section

Filtration section

Additive tanks


Filter 1 Filter 2

Oleindryer

Stearindryer


Production of winter fuel(double fractionation)

P M E

Step APlant 1

Stearin AOlein A

Olein C Stearin C

Step CPlant 2

20% 20%

60% 40%

Olein B Stearin B

Step BPlant 135% 25%

Winter fuel

Note : The yield figures are only approximate


Production of winter fuel(single long fractionation)

P M E

Olein A’ Stearin A

Step A’Plant 135% 65%

Winter fuel

Note : The yield figures are only approximate


OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS


To filter press

Ester feed

Recirculationinlet

Hot waterChilled water

Water return

Crystallizer

• Agitator• Frequency inverter• Level transmitter c/w settings

for HLA & LLA• High level switch• Inlet actuated valve• Outlet actuated valve• Water circulation pump • Water circulation flowmeter• Temperature of ester• Temperature control for water• Level control for water

Recirculationoutlet


PLC Control System – Overview


Key in control parameters for crystallizers.


Key in control parameters for filtration and utility sections.


Key in settings for cooling programs (recipes).Total no. of recipes in the library = 15.


--------30012050300Segment time (min)

--------1818202535Water temperature (°C)

19………876543210Segment no.

Recipe Settings : No. of segments used = 4

Time (min)

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

30 50 120 300

35

25

2018

Cooling curve


Select the type of feed material – Methyl Ester (Step A) or Liquid Ester (Step B).


Select the recipe to be used for each crystallizer.


Select FILL – inlet valve V401-1 will open, the feed pump will start. When LT401 reaches 50%, agitator AG401 will start.


At high level HLA or high high level LSH, the feed pump will stop. After a preset delay timer, inlet valve V401-1 will close .


At the end of the preset homogenizing period, cooling will start automatically – pump P301 will start, controllers LIC301 and TIC401 will run.


If the temperature of ester in the crystallizer is less than 40°C after homogenizing, reheat the ester and select COOL to start cooling.


The cooling time varies from 20 hr to 50 hr. In the mean time, start feeding ester into the next crystallizer.


At the end of cooling, a message will be displayed. Select DISCHARGE –outlet valve V401-3 will open.


Start the filtration process at the filter press PLC panel. Operation of the filter press from closing to opening is fully automatic.


At low level LLA, agitator AG401 and pump P301 will stop. After a preset delay timer, outlet valve V401-3 will close.


Batch Report


Daily Production Report


QUESTIONS?

winter fuel training

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