The effect of extraneous matter on factory throughput and performance

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation to quantify the effect of extraneous matter on factory throughput and performance that was carried out in the 1998 crushing season at Mossman Mill. Two cane supplies were investigated with different amounts of leaf: one with a leaf mass about 10% of the mass of billets; and one with a leaf mass about 3% of the mass of billets. These cane supplies represented what was typical of the dirtiest cane supplied to the mill and what was typical of the cleanest cane supplied to the mill. For nominally identical factory conditions, the clean cane was crushed at a rate 31 t/h higher than the dirty cane and produced significantly more sugar. The clean cane had a CCS of 0.77 units higher than the dirty cane. The effect these differences have on sugar income are discussed for a proposed expansion of a hypothetical mill.