| CPC C13B 30/02 (2013.01) [B01D 9/0013 (2013.01); B01D 9/0063 (2013.01); C13B 30/022 (2013.01)] | 15 Claims |
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1. A cooling crystallizer for sucrose magma in a vertically oriented container which has an inlet at a top of the vertically oriented container for feeding in the sucrose magma and an outlet at a bottom of the vertically oriented container for discharging the sucrose magma, comprising:
a plurality of cooling packs which are positioned within the vertically oriented container and vertically spaced apart from one another, wherein
each of the cooling packs of the plurality of cooling packs includes a flow inlet and a flow outlet, each being individual to the cooling pack, and the flow inlet is configured to receive a respective separate feed of a heat transfer fluid, individual to the cooling pack, each of the cooling packs is configured for the received separate feed of the heat transfer fluid to flow through the cooling pack and out from the cooling pack's flow outlet, as the cooling pack's respective discharged heat transfer fluid, and
each of the cooling packs of the plurality of cooling packs comprises a respective plurality of cooling blocks that are vertically spaced apart from one another, wherein, for each of the cooling packs,
each of the cooling blocks of the respective plurality of cooling blocks is configured for the heat transfer fluid to flow through the cooling block, and
the plurality of cooling blocks are coupled to one another in an arrangement configured such that the flow of the heat transfer fluid through the cooling pack flows through each of the cooling blocks;
a plurality of heat exchangers, which are positioned outside of the vertically oriented container and are respectively coupled to the plurality of cooling packs in an arrangement configured to provide, for each of the cooling packs, a separate, individual flow of the cooling pack's discharged heat transfer fluid to a corresponding one of the heat exchangers of the plurality of heat exchangers and wherein, in order to dissipate heat from the sucrose magma, each of the heat exchangers of the plurality of heat exchangers is configured to cool the flow of discharged heat transfer fluid the heat exchanger receives from the cooling pack to which the heat exchanger corresponds and output a respective separate flow of a cooled heat transfer fluid; and
a plurality of pumps that are respectively coupled between the plurality of heat exchangers and the plurality of cooling packs in an arrangement that is configured to provide, for each of the cooling packs of the plurality of cooling packs, a separate, individual pumped flow to the flow inlet of the cooling pack, via a respective one of the pumps, of the cooled heat transfer fluid from a corresponding one of the heat exchangers, as the cooling pack's respective separate feed of the heat transfer fluid,
wherein the plurality of cooling packs are arranged within the vertically oriented container in a configuration that provides, for the plurality of cooling packs, hydraulic separation from one another, and
wherein the plurality cooling packs, the plurality of heat exchangers, and the plurality of pumps and their respective couplings are further arranged such that each of the cooling packs of the plurality of cooling packs is arranged in a separate cooling circuit among a plurality of separate cooling circuits, wherein each of the separate cooling circuits of the plurality of separate cooling circuits includes, in combination with a respective one of the cooling packs, a respective separate one of the heat exchangers of the plurality of heat exchangers and a respective separate one of the pumps of the plurality of pumps.
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