Sugar is considered an important part of the human diet because it helps in providing instant energy to the body. Most of the Indians start their day with a nice warm cup of tea and the desert for dinner. India is the largest producer of sugarcane and the second-largest producer of sugar in the world. India supplies up to 20% of global sugar necessities, which is done with the help of numerous farmers and many sugar mills that churn out sugar from sugarcane. India is one of the biggest consumers of sugar and there is no surprise that we have a burgeoning sugar industry in our country.
Sugarcane is a very fragile crop, once it gets harvested, the shelf life starts tanking precipitously and it needs to be sent soon to the sugar mill. Due to which millers set up their production and crushing plants close to the farmlands. This is done to reduce the cut-to-crush time and as a result, the industry has emerged in tight clusters. India’s major sugar production (up to 80%) happens in UP, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
The Sugar industry is involved in two major sectors of India, from producing sugarcane on fields (Primary sector), to the processing plant (Secondary sector). The sugar industry provides employment to over a million people of India directly or indirectly.
How Welding helps the Sugar Industry to grow effectively & efficiently?
Sugar mills work day & night in order to fulfill the needs of customers and export quality sugar. There are several pieces of equipment in sugar plants that get affected by many wear factors like abrasion, impact, corrosion, cracks, etc. The equipment which majorly faces wear issues are crane grab hooks, cane levellers, cane kickers, cane loading spikes, fibrizer, cane cutting knives, scraper plates, trash plates, and the feed roller that are made up of different metals.
D&H Sécheron products range serving Sugar Industry
D&H Sécheron is one of the leading welding consumables manufacturers in India. The firm was established in the year 1966 with Swiss collaboration. We offer a complete range of welding products comprising welding consumables (Electrodes & wires), welding equipment, fabrication solutions, and training to the new welders – which fulfills our motto “Complete Welding Support”.
Let’s dive deep into the process of extracting sugar from sugarcane and how different machinery or the machinery’s parts get repaired with the Lotherme range of products that are designed for repair & maintenance.
The transportation of sugarcane plays a vital role in obtaining the best quality of sugar. Once the farmer has harvested their crop they sell it to the marketplace (Mandis) from where it is collected by the sugarcane dealers or the farmers can directly sell the harvest to the sugar mills. When the sugarcane reaches the mill through a truck or the tractor it gets weighed and after that crane grab hook lifts the piles of sugarcane to the conveyor belts.
Lotherme-603 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-603 ) is an electrode designed for the hard facing, wear facing or overlay applications, which is effective against the abrasion/impact from which crane grabs hooks gets affected.
The sugarcane on conveyor belts gets washed, after that the cane leveler arms level up the sugarcane which moves towards the cane knives/cane push arms. Further cane pusher arms or cane kicker helps in moving sugarcane towards the cane knives. The cane knives further chop off long thick stick-type sugarcane into small pieces where it gets easy for a shredder hammer to perform its role. The cane leveller arms & cane loading spikes generally face abrasion/impact due to which the production can be affected and inorder to avoid this, Lotherme-617 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-617 ) welding rod can provide a lasting solution. This particular electrode produces weld metal exceptionally resistant to wear from combined abrasion, erosion and moderate impact. Cane cutting knives mostly face the issues of abrasion accompanied by the mild impact which can be resolved by the Lotherme- 605 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-605 ) which is a low heat input versatile electrode for depositing chromium carbide alloy to resist high abrasion and impact along with mild corrosion.
The shredded cane is then moved towards the crushers, where the heavy set of grooved crusher rollers helps in extracting the juice by breaking the cane and extracting a large part of the juice. To use every single drop of sugarcane’s juice a countercurrent stream of maceration water is used to remove the juice from the crusher and to further use it. The cane shredder generally faces the issue of abrasion where Lotherme-602 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-602 ) welding rod is an ideal suit for good abrasion resistance and to provide toughness over mild steel, carbon steel, low alloy steels, etc. This repair & maintenance electrode also prevents the Fibrizer from abrasion.
Lotherme-601(https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-601) prevents roller pinion from wear as the deposited weld metal has a high degree of toughness, excellent resistance to rolling, sliding friction, and heavy impact loads. Roller Grooves Teeth is the component which helps in crushing the sugarcane and extracting the juice out, it is generally built of cast iron alloys and has the high chances for the crack where welding with Lotherme- 703 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-cast-iron-alloys/lotherme-703 ) can provide an enduring solution, this electrode produces high strength, machinable welds, and overlays on grey & alloy cast irons Deposits crack-free on joints.
The Fibrizing anvil is a backup support to hammers for cane fibrizing which is made up of carbon steel that face the issue of abrasion, mild impact & corrosion where the hardfacing is the solution. With Lotherme- 617 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-617 ) one can achieve the best quality weld because it is a low heat input, hardfacing electrode which has excellent resistance to high-stress abrasion, severe erosion at moderate temperature.
Many other supporting components like crown pinion & sprocket used to face wear issues like abrasion & impact where Lotherme-602 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-602 ) can give the best results. The roller journal is an important part of the sugar mill rollers which supports the roller to move properly, this particular component faces the wear issue where Lotherme-468 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-468 ) & Lotherme -468 CL (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-468cl ) can provide a lasting solution. The Lotherme-468 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-468 ) arc welding electrode gives evenly rippled, porosity-free weld deposits that permit heavy build-up without danger of cracking. Lotherme-468 CL (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-468cl ) is an ideal suit for high-strength joints subject to services under wear, impact heat and corrosion, on stainless steels, dissimilar steels, alloy steels, and difficult steels.
The role of TPRF rollers is to increase the field of the mill and reduce the slippage of cane during crushing and increase the capacity as these TPRF rollers used to face the issue of high abrasion, impact, etc. Here Lotherme-605 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-605 ) provides the solution as this welding rod provides evenly rippled, porosity-free weld deposits that permit heavy build-up without danger of cracking.
In Maharashtra, there are plenty of sugar plants, one of our trusted customers Shree Vridheshwar Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd. whose sugar mill is based in Ahmednagar district was facing wear issues on the TRPF roller. Our team went to the location to check for the problem and provide the best possible solution. It came into notice that the 1400kg cast steel TRPF roller got affected by abrasion and due to which the production of sugar got interrupted. After successfully checking out the problem, our team has suggested that Lotherme-605 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-605 ) will be the best solution for it. Firstly the rust was cleaned from the surface, then it got welded with 40 kgs of Lotherme-605 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-605 ) was consumed, the welding was done at 140 Amps, finally, it was left to cool down slowly at room temperature and accordingly the TRPF roller was given a satisfactory life.
The Sugar mill crusher roller is another major component that is used to achieve higher crushing rates at lower mill speeds, improving the gripping and reducing the re-absorption. To prevent the crusher rollers from any wear factor Lotherme OA-653 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/wires/lotherme-oa-653 ) is suitable because it is specially designed to deposit hard fine dispersed chromium carbides alloy in a high chromium martensitic matrix with micro-alloy additions in the weld metal.
Now the process of “Defecation” is used to clarify the raw sugar as well as in the organic sugar manufacturing plant. This process can be defined as neutralizing the raw juice by adding lime (which is added in the form of milk of lime). The extracted juice is then moved to the stainless steel condenser which is the oldest as well as the cheapest method of juice clarification with two basic agents lime & heat takes place. The lime and heat treatment forms a heavy precipitate of complex composition. It contains insoluble lime salts, coagulated albumin, and a varying proportion of fats, waxes & gums. Now the phosphoric acid is added to increase the P2O5 content of juice to 300 ppm.
The lime is added to neutralize organic acids, besides insoluble tricalcium phosphate which forms occluded colloids & suspended impurities. Centrifuge Shaft, Pump Shaft keys & Turbine Casing are ideally welded by the Lotherme-468 electrode which is a universal low heat input high strength, high alloy electrode for crack-free welds and overlays on steels. In order to prevent the sulfur tank from any wear factors, Lotherme-455 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-455 ) is capable because it is an electrode that produces deposits of extra-low carbon with a balanced Cr-Ni ratio and controlled ferrite. Furthermore, stabilization with columbium ensures excellent resistance to corrosion. The presence of molybdenum improves the corrosion resistance in reducing media.
The clarified juice is sent to evaporator bodies to increase its solid concentration. After evaporation, a thick syrup is formed. In the process of evaporation, the concentration of clear juice is carried out until the percentage of solids has reached up to 60% 70% as per the requirement. This evaporation process is conducted under a system of multiple effect evaporators as per the view of energy conservation.
Trash plates help in collecting all the waste of sugarcane, it allows the waste to accumulate easily for later disposals. This trash plate helps in cleaning crusher roller teeth and working as a bridge to pass cane blanket; it is generally made up of cast iron & cast steel. Trash plates generally face the issue of abrasion, corrosion, and friction where Lotherme-605 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-605 ) is proved effective; it is a hard surfacing electrode and operates well in all conventional positions. The deposited weld metal has exceptional abrasion wear resistance in combination with resistance to impact & mild corrosion.
The concentrated juice or the syrup is subjected to the process of crystallization. The crystallization process consists of the concentration of syrup and the formation of sugar crystals. This process is done by vacuum pans. Where the wear issue generally occurs for which Lotherme 451 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-451 )electrode provides a better solution.
The massecuite from crystallizers is taken into centrifugal form for the separation of sugar crystals and molasses. The centrifugal is a machine in which crystals in the massecuite are separated by using centrifugal force from the surrounding molasses or syrup. After centrifuging, the raw sugar dying flowed by cooling the hopper by blowing hot and cold air. Bagging temperature is maintained near to room temperature in order to prevent caking of raw sugar. The raw sugar is quickly moved to the refined sugar processor to be stored in a humid proof godown.
In a sugar mill, various other mechanical components are placed through which the whole process runs smoothly, all these components play their role to achieve the production targets in an effective and efficient manner. But these parts too face wear issues, if we take a few examples like CI shell- it generally faces the issue of the crack where Lotherme – 705 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-cast-iron-alloys/lotherme-705 ) is proved beneficial as this electrode is a low heat input electrode producing outstanding quality machinable welds on cast iron.
Headstocks is the part that helps any sugar mill to enhance its performance, it generally faces the issue of abrasion where Lotherme-352 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-carbon-and-low-alloy-steels/lotherme-352 ) is well suited because this hydrogen-controlled electrode is designed for mild, medium carbon, etc; for cushion layer under hard deposits. The top roller flanges are also a crucial machinery component that can face the issue of wear where Lotherme-464 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-464 ) can give the best performance.
The Shafts and turbine rotor shaft face the major issues of cracks which can be easily handled by the Lotherme-468 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-468 ) which is an ideal choice for high-strength, crack-free welds. The pump body sheet area & I.D. Fan blades have a higher chance to get affected by abrasion, impact & corrosion but it can be avoided by the Lotherme – 605 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-605 ) electrode because of depositing Chromium Carbide alloy to resist high abrasion and impact along with mild corrosion.
D&H Sécheron’s commitment to provide world class service
D&H Sécheron keeps innovation as its priority, which became a major reason for developing more than 800 products. To ensure the best quality as well as customer satisfaction – our team works day & night, our dedicated team of sales engineers and a widely spread dealer network helps in offering strong support and back up to all our customers. Lotherme range helps in avoiding the different wear factors by not only providing durability but also helps sugar mill owners to earn profit without any hindrance.
D&H Sécheron provides its services pan India where welding in a sugar mill is a common practice and our organization is an expert in providing solutions. Don’t just take from us, our reputed customers, Shree Ganesh Khand Udhyog Shakari Mandli Ltd. (Ahmedabad, Gujarat) has appreciated our remarkable work where our welding electrodes like Lotherme-457 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-stainless-steels-alloys/lotherme-457 ), Lotherme-T901 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/electrodes/lotherme-t-901 ) & Lotherme-617 (https://www.dnhsecheron.com/products/reclamation-welding-consumables/for-hard-facing-wear-facing-or-overlay-application/lotherme-617 ) were used for the hard facing process. Our other customer Reva Kripa Sugars Pvt. Ltd. (Jabalpur, M.P.) has appreciated our work and achievement in the field of welding. There are many more happy customers like them where our organization’s products helped them to achieve their goals.
For more information, reach out directly to us on our email add: info@dnhsecheron.net or visit our website: www.dnhsecheron.com or call us on +91-9833550505.
D&H Sécheron is continuously working in the field of welding where innovation and development of new products remain our priority. We have achieved exceptional product range & quality because of our team of professionals who have a tremendous technical understanding and spent decades in the field. The sugar industry is growing rapidly and proving beneficial for the people who are involved in sugarcane farming, sugar manufacturing, transportation & exports.
