Prima-Sep® Sugar Clarifier

Graver has been a leading manufacturer of continuous sugar clarifiers for decades with world-wide installations. The Graver Prima-Sep® is unique in design, performance and construction. It incorporates the most advanced and dependable clarification principles to result in rapid, high-rate sedimentation; Removal of all types of suspended impurities including insoluble solids, gums, waxes and bagacillo; sugar cane characteristics under variable conditions; and cid and gas formation and inversion protection.

Value to Sugar Mills

It is well known that the degree of sugar clarification has great impact on pan boiling, centrifuging, product quality, yield of raw sugar and filtration speed. The degree of clarification also controls to some extent the methods and economy of harvesting and milling. The Prima-Sep provides the finest quality clarified sugar juice in the minimum time utilizing a minimum of equipment, no matter what the condition of the incoming juice (age, burned, dirty, high wax or solids). The ultimately result is a machine capable of clarifying juice from canes which are subjected to all weather conditions and today’s mechanized techniques with cost effect savings in the various phases of sugar processing.

Prima-Sep Advantages and Benefits

    • 25% Greater Capacity Over Previous Designs
    • More Complete Sedimentation
    • Greater Mud Thickening
    • High-Rate Treatment at All Solids Levels
    • Overall Process Economy
    • Extremely Low Inversion
    • No Short-Circuiting
    • Minimum Maintenance and Attention Requirements
    • Quality Construction, Simple Installation

    • Controlled and effective flocculation and agglomeration removes even the smallest, most-difficult-to-settle particles.
    • Three continuous settling phases (primary, free-fall zone & settling compartments) includes a “polishing” step that produces a highly-clarified brilliant juice.
    • Maximum dejuicing of mud before removal.
    • Rapid clarification and short retention time.

How it Works

  1. On entering the unit the juice immediately undergoes a controlled flocculation as it rolls past the inlet baffle below the liquid level and flows in a rolling motion radially out toward the periphery of the tank. Foam is removed by paddles and collected in a foam canal. Heavy, agglomerated particles are quickly formed by the controlled flocculation and settled out on the primary mud collection tray, which in inwardly inclined toward a central mud sump.
  2. The particles are slaked by slowly rotating scrapers and pickets until a compact mud is formed. The mud is swept into the sump where it is further thickened and then smoothly removed from the unit by the simplex pump. This initial removal of the first strata of solids accounts for up to 60% of incoming solids. Consequently, only 40% of the solids need to be settled out on the four settling trays and the bottom mud removal tray.
  3. Once the juice reaches the periphery of the machine it is in the free-fall zone where a further portion of the solids settle out, this time falling directly to the bottom of the tank. Then the juice flows evenly on all sides down to the first and succeeding settling compartments where final “polishing” clarification takes place.
  4. The juice enters the compartment slowly and as it begins to flow radially inward all the remaining solids, even the finest bagacillo, settle out close to the periphery of the trays. When the juice reaches the central portion of a tray it increases in velocity and swiftly leaves the unit at the draw-off point as a brilliant effluent, flowing up to the draw-off box. Draw-off in each compartment is individually controlled by the draw-off pipes which are manually adjusted from the draw-off box. Gas accumulating in the unit during operation is constantly eliminated.
  5. Scrapers, slowly revolving on the settling trays, continuously sweep settled mud off the trays to the final mud collection tray. The falling solids do not mix with the feed to the settling compartments as they are immediately present in the free-fall zone and consequently fall directly to the bottom of the unit.
  6. Mud collected at the bottom of the clarifier is compacted as at the top, with maximum dejuicing taking place before it is extracted from the sump by the anti-surge simplex pump. The pumps are regulated to assure proper time for complete thickening before removal occurs. The mud goes to a collection box and from there to holding tanks for disposal.

Photo Gallery

Prima-Sep® Sugar Clarifier

Graver has been a leading manufacturer of continuous sugar clarifiers for decades with world-wide installations. The Graver Prima-Sep® is unique in design, performance and construction. It incorporates the most advanced and dependable clarification principles to result in rapid, high-rate sedimentation; Removal of all types of suspended impurities including insoluble solids, gums, waxes and bagacillo; sugar cane characteristics under variable conditions; and cid and gas formation and inversion protection.

Value to Sugar Mills

It is well known that the degree of sugar clarification has great impact on pan boiling, centrifuging, product quality, yield of raw sugar and filtration speed. The degree of clarification also controls to some extent the methods and economy of harvesting and milling. The Prima-Sep provides the finest quality clarified sugar juice in the minimum time utilizing a minimum of equipment, no matter what the condition of the incoming juice (age, burned, dirty, high wax or solids). The ultimately result is a machine capable of clarifying juice from canes which are subjected to all weather conditions and today’s mechanized techniques with cost effect savings in the various phases of sugar processing.

  • Controlled and effective flocculation and agglomeration removes even the smallest, most-difficult-to-settle particles.
  • Three continuous settling phases (primary, free-fall zone & settling compartments) includes a “polishing” step that produces a highly-clarified brilliant juice.
  • Maximum dejuicing of mud before removal.
  • Rapid clarification and short retention time.

Prima-Sep Advantages and Benefits

  • 25% Greater Capacity Over Previous Designs
  • More Complete Sedimentation
  • Greater Mud Thickening
  • High-Rate Treatment at All Solids Levels
  • Overall Process Economy
  • Extremely Low Inversion
  • No Short-Circuiting
  • Minimum Maintenance and Attention Requirements
  • Quality Construction, Simple Installation

How it Works

  1. On entering the unit the juice immediately undergoes a controlled flocculation as it rolls past the inlet baffle below the liquid level and flows in a rolling motion radially out toward the periphery of the tank. Foam is removed by paddles and collected in a foam canal. Heavy, agglomerated particles are quickly formed by the controlled flocculation and settled out on the primary mud collection tray, which in inwardly inclined toward a central mud sump.
  2. The particles are slaked by slowly rotating scrapers and pickets until a compact mud is formed. The mud is swept into the sump where it is further thickened and then smoothly removed from the unit by the simplex pump. This initial removal of the first strata of solids accounts for up to 60% of incoming solids. Consequently, only 40% of the solids need to be settled out on the four settling trays and the bottom mud removal tray.
  3. Once the juice reaches the periphery of the machine it is in the free-fall zone where a further portion of the solids settle out, this time falling directly to the bottom of the tank. Then the juice flows evenly on all sides down to the first and succeeding settling compartments where final “polishing” clarification takes place.
  4. The juice enters the compartment slowly and as it begins to flow radially inward all the remaining solids, even the finest bagacillo, settle out close to the periphery of the trays. When the juice reaches the central portion of a tray it increases in velocity and swiftly leaves the unit at the draw-off point as a brilliant effluent, flowing up to the draw-off box. Draw-off in each compartment is individually controlled by the draw-off pipes which are manually adjusted from the draw-off box. Gas accumulating in the unit during operation is constantly eliminated.
  5. Scrapers, slowly revolving on the settling trays, continuously sweep settled mud off the trays to the final mud collection tray. The falling solids do not mix with the feed to the settling compartments as they are immediately present in the free-fall zone and consequently fall directly to the bottom of the unit.
  6. Mud collected at the bottom of the clarifier is compacted as at the top, with maximum dejuicing taking place before it is extracted from the sump by the anti-surge simplex pump. The pumps are regulated to assure proper time for complete thickening before removal occurs. The mud goes to a collection box and from there to holding tanks for disposal.

Photo Gallery