AUTOMATION OF PAN STAGE PROCESSES AT CSR MACKNADE MILL

Automation of the pan stage processes at CSR Macknade Mill prior to the 2001 crushing season has reduced process variability while maintaining optimum operating conditions. This has resulted in an improvement in pan stage throughput, sugar quality and sugar yields and a reduction in pan stage manning, providing an overall reduction in operating costs. The pan stage at Macknade Mill has been controlled with a Bailey Distributed Control System (DCS) since the late 1980s. Since the installation of this DCS unit, the factory throughput has been steadily increased. In preparation for the 1998 crushing season, a minor expansion program was carried out to increase the crushing rate from a nominal 420 tcph to 490 tcph. This expansion included an increase in pan vessel capacity. To further increase the throughput, this station was automated with reasonable improvements in throughput for a small capital outlay, using conventional pan control instrumentation.