Steam Conditioning for the Sugar Industry

Steamconditioning (desuperheating) is an essential and critical part of sugar production, particularly with reference to the processing of expressed juice where criticalsteamtemperatures are most necessary to ensurefinal quality. Desuperheating is a simpleprocess that is not widely understood in principle and is much abusedin its practical application and operation. The purposeof this paper is to: • explainbrieflythe basicphysical principle of steamdesuperheating • discuss thevarious typesofequipment available andhighlight their relevant advantages and disadvantages • highlight specific applications in the South African sugar industryover the past 30 years • highlight typical operational problems that have arisen and how they were overcome. This paper places users in a better position to select, operate and maintain suitable equipment on a 'total lifecycle' costbasis that will suit their specific application.