Even greater capacity
In the past 20 years, the four beet sugar factories in Belarus have more than doubled their processing rates. Today, they process an average of 7,000 to 8,000 tons of beet per day. In the short term, all factories aim to pass the 10,000 t/d mark. Sugar is one of Belarus's key export commodities, which is why the capacity extension fors part of a special state-funded scheme. One major step in this scheme was the installation of new BMA extraction plants at the Gorodeya, Slutsk and Skidzyel sugar factories. To achieve the desired nominal beet processing rate of 10,000 t/d, BMA supplied plants of the same size to all three factories (countercurrent cossette mixers with a diameter of 6.7 m and 8.5 m in length; and extraction towers with a diameter of 9.6 m and 22.73 m in height). The Gorodeya and Slutsk extraction plants had been commissioned back in 2013. Now it was the turn of the third plant at Skidzyel, in time for the 2015 campaign.
Both factory management and operating staff are still unfamiliar with the new extraction technology. But together with BMA, they soon managed to obtain the desired output from the state-of-the-art system. The commissioning of the new BMA extraction plant at the Skidzyel factory is a first step towards further increases in capacity, a reduction in sugar losses, improved raw juice purity, and better energy efficiency.
Harald Veleta
BMA AG
harald.veleta@bma-de.com