NOTES ON THE CONSISTENCY OF CLARIFIER UNDERFLOW MUD

THE COMBINATION of the trend to have higher soil levels in cane and the trend to the adoption of the technology, where most of the bagacillo fibre required as a filter aid in the filters is provided through selective screening of juice, has meant that clarifier underflow muds are becoming higher in total solids and more difficult to extract and handle. This paper reviews material on the consistency relationships of the underflow mud, and applies the work of Nix in the 1970s to mud conditions now prevalent in Australian factories. The paper examines the effect of filtrate recycle on the flow of mud through the underflow pipes. As far as mud flow is concerned, it appears that there is little benefit in having filtrate recycle more than 25% of the initial underflow.