Abstract

In this investigation, process flexibility techniques are applied to the analysis of the milling stage in a sugar mill. These techniques have gained notable attention in recent years and have provided significant improvements in many industrial processes; however, they had never before been applied in the sugar industry. The analyses corresponding to the flexibility test showed that feasible operation cannot be achieved under the circumstances previously defined in the base case. Several uncertainty scenarios were evaluated for key parameters such as cane flow rate, cane fiber content, and cane juice Brix. In this context, the main operational challenge would be the simultaneous satisfaction of the maximum admissible mixed juice Brix (15 degrees Bx) and the maximum bagasse moisture (50%) when milling cane with a juice Brix higher than 20.6 degrees Bx. The second technique applied was the flexibility index, which provided new evidence that contributes to a better understanding of the impact of imbibition temperature on extraction behavior. The investigation demonstrates that applying hot imbibition instead of cold imbibition increases process flexibility by 50%, making it possible to process cane with higher juice Brix without incurring infeasibilities. In the case study, applying imbibition at 80 degrees C instead of 40 degrees C resulted in a reduction of 5 m3/h of imbibition water, representing an energy-efficient improvement in the process. The study discusses new approaches and perspectives to be considered in future research on the application of flexibility analysis in the sugar industry, which would be of scientific relevance.