Enfinity Technology - The Latest Headway in Biofuel Technology Solutions

It's no secret that the world today is yearning for renewable energy sources that can combat issues like harmful emissions, depleting fossil resources and spiraling fuel prices. Ethanol Industry is being viewed as a viable alternative which is expected to play a critical role in meeting the growing demand for renewable energies and cleaner fuels.

While initiatives are being taken at different levels, the introduction of one of the latest technologies Enfinity is the breakthrough that is likely to take the bio-refinery sector by storm.  Enfinity is the brainchild of Praj Industries which is one of the most trusted names in the bioenergy spectrum, known for delivering the best ethanol plant solutions.

Enfinity Ethanol Technology

Ethanol production process

It is the 2G or second-generation cellulosic ethanol technology that utilizes the available renewable sources for bio-fuel solutions that successfully meet the environmental and energy challenges. The smart Bio-Refinery system based on Enfinity technology is equipped with multi-feed capability and improved biological processing ability.

Unlike the first-generation ethanol production process that depends on food crops, typically corn and sugar cane as raw material, Enfinity uses agricultural wastes like rice husk, palm residue, wheat stalks, corn cobs, and other ligno cellulosic biomass. It utilizes different kinds of enzymes to break these organic wastes into glucose or carbon sugars from which ethanol is extracted. The complete production process encompasses enzymatic hydrolysis, co-fermentation, and distillation and is a thermally integrated system that facilitates optimum energy consumption.

Features of 2G Ethanol Technology

Enzyme Flexibility

●       Proven technology on multiple enzymes

●       High yields with different enzyme strains

Co-Fermentation

Yeast strain for efficient utilization of C5 (pentose) and C6 (hexose) sugars 

●       Higher yield

●       Lower reaction time

●       Higher tolerance to solids

Other HIghlights of the Technology

1.      Optimum Capacity – 1 million liter  per annum

2.      Capability to process multiple feedstock - corn cobs & stover, rice & wheat straw, cane trash, cane bagasse, cotton stalk, empty fruit bunches (EFB)

3.      A holistic approach with an end to end offering; from feedstock processing till end product and wastewater treatment.

4.      Process integration facilitating optimization of energy & water consumption.

5.      Efficient wastewater management with Zero Liquid Discharge system

6.      Operating cost at par with global competition.

7.      The technology is designed to produce Bio-ethanol, Bio-gas with provision for the set-up of Bio-CNG unit

Another Milestone Achieved

Praj Industries has spread its wings far and wide and is a name to reckon with in the global biofuel technology solutions. Its 2G ethanol technology will now be used for USA’s bagasse-based biorefinery. ‘Enfinity’ will be deployed to produce ethanol and other co-products using sugarcane bagasse in the bagasse-based bio-refinery. The bio-refinery will be jointly promoted by Florida based Omega Energy USA, a developer of renewable energy projects, while Louisiana based Lasuca Sugar, a producer of cane sugar, will supply bagasse feedstock. With Enfinity gaining global recognition and acceptance from developed markets like that of USA, it reinforces the position of Praj industries as a global leader in the advanced bio-economy.

A Comprehensive Guide to Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers

Heat exchangers are parts of industrial equipment that are deftly designed for facilitating the process of exchanging heat from one fluid(liquid or gas) to another fluid(liquid or gas). The purpose or the objective of heat transfer could be either for heating or cooling the elements of the fluids. The essential feature of the heat exchanger is that heat transfer occurs without the need of bringing the two fluids together. In industrial plants and factories, heat exchangers are widely used to keep the machinery, chemicals, gas, and other substances within a safe operating temperature.

There are different types of heat exchangers available in the market that employ different setups, equipment, and design features. While all the heat exchangers operate on the same principle, they work in different ways. Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers is one of the most commonly used heat exchanger widely used in industrial process applications like in refineries and chemical industries. Consisting of a sealed shell and a number of metal tubes, these heat exchangers are specifically designed to exchange heat flow between two fluids in enormous quantities.

How does it Work?

The two fluids of different temperatures are made to pass through the heat exchanger, where

one fluid flows through a set of metal tubes, the other fluid passes through a sealed shell that surrounds them. The heat transfer takes place between the fluids through the tube walls. The fluids can be either liquids or gases.

Shell and tube heat exchangers are used in various industrial applications due to their expertise in performing tasks such as:

• Cooling of hydraulic and lube oil
• Condensing process vapor or steam
• Cooling of turbine, compressor, and engine
• Evaporating process liquid or steam

What are the Advantages of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers?

 The equipment is highly preferable by the industrial units due to its robust structure and its ability to transfer a huge amount of heat at a relatively lower cost. Moreover, the shell and tube heat exchangers provide sufficient and effective tube surface that minimizes the requirements of floor space and liquid volume.

1. Suitable for systems with higher operating temperatures and pressures.
2. Any leaks in the tubes can be easily detected and fixed.
3. Tubular coolers in the refrigeration system can also serve as a receiver.
4. Sacrificial anodes can be used to protect the entire cooling system against corrosion

There are many Heat Exchanger Suppliers in the market that are offering different types of heat exchangers-varying in capacities and functioning. Praj Industries is one of the leading  Heat Exchanger Suppliers offering Critical process systems and equipment to several processing industries. Over the years they have successfully catered to the demands of numerous companies and have made their mark in the industry.

Grain Based Ethanol and its Growth in India !

Grain based ethanol or Grain alcohol is a purified form of ethanol made from the distillation of fermented grain. The ethanol is produced by fermenting sugars in the grain by yeast prior to repeated distillation or rectification. It is also used to refer to any ethanol produced from grain or other agricultural origin.

Grain based ethanol is used for the production of white spirits such as gin and vodka but also as a base for a wide range of flavoured alcoholic beverages. It is a colorless liquid addressed as a ‘neutral spirit’ i.e. bereft of added flavor. The chemical composition of C2H5OH makes it a flammable liquid.

Grain alcohols are known to act as depressants and a neurotoxin to the central nervous system. They find their application in alcoholic beverages, recreational drugs, solvents, antiseptics, fuels, and various industrial purposes.

The Growing Demand for Grain Based Ethanols

One of the factors responsible for the growing acceptance of grain-based alcohol in india is the inconsistency in Molasses’ prices. Until now, Molasses have been traditionally dominant in the production of alcohol in the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) market. Now, however, the trend of using grain-based alcohol is exponentially growing. According to Praj industries - one of the leading Ethanol plant manufacturers in Asia, the grain-based variety of all potable alcohol produced in India has grown to 10% from a meager 2% to 3%. It is expected to further reach 22% in the next 5 years. (1)

Is Grain Alcohol 100% Pure?

Grain alcohol is commonly bottled in two versions, 75.5 percent ABV and 95 percent ABV. There is no 100 percent ABV grain alcohol for human consumption because of azeotropic effects during the distillation process. Such concentration is considered too easy for people to get alcohol poisoning.

Abundant Availability of Grains in India Makes it A Popular Choice

Alcohol from grains is found to be better in quality, but more expensive than the ones made from molasses. However, grain-based ethanol plants can find additional income source in one of the byproducts of grain-based distilleries - the animal feed. This has prompted more companies to set grain ethanol plants. This will also mean that we can get better quality alcohol.

As oil companies increase the use of ethanol for blending with petrol, prices of molasses-based ethanol have increased. As a result, the IMFL manufacturers frequently switch between grain-based and molasses-based alcohol depending upon its prices.

The government plans to allow food grains during surplus production years to be used for the production of ethanol that can be blended with petrol, in an attempt to broaden the availability of raw materials needed for Bioethanol production.

Pune-based Praj Industries, leaders in Industrial production of ethanol, have covered 80% of the dryer market in the past few years. The dryer technology, used for drying the wet waste generated by the grain-based distilleries has made it possible for the distilleries to cross-subsidize the production cost of grain alcohol.

How Enogen and Cellerate can boost ethanol production?

With the growing significance of ethanol plants, newer and competitive ways are being explored to facilitate ethanol processes, making it more productive. Enogen Corn Enzyme is one of the latest in-seed techniques that is specifically designed to enhance the overall ethanol production. The modern biotechnology is directed towards infusing top-grade alpha amylase enzyme directly in the grain, eliminating the need to add liquid alpha amylase. This results in reduced production costs and improved process efficiency, thus adding value to ethanol plants and yielding desirable benefits to the corn ethanol producers.

How does Alpha-amylase enzyme work?

Alpha-amylase enzyme is a key ingredient in ethanol production. Corn seeds rich in this enzyme can be highly beneficial for ethanol plants.

The enzymes help ethanol plants reduce the viscosity of corn mash and eliminate the requirement of adding a liquid form of the enzyme. This yields incredibly high levels of solids loading in liquefaction and fermentation tanks, leading to increased throughput and yield. Use of Enogen technology with alpha-amylase enzyme also ensures a significant reduction in natural gas, electricity and water usage.

Cellerate Process Technology and Cellulosic ethanol

Cellerate process technology is a revolutionary procedure that helps ethanol producers to extract increased amount of ethanol from the same kernel of corn. It employs innovative procedure to convert corn kernel fiber into cellulosic ethanol. With cellerate technology installed in ethanol plant infrastructure, the biofuel industry can witness multifold increase in their produce.

The technique does not require any changes to be made in the conventional process of obtaining ethanol from molasses. It leverages the existing infrastructure and offers significant advantages to your plant. It allows pre-treatment in the fiber that facilitates whole stillage processing, eliminating the need to separate all the fiber and starch.

Benefits of Cellerate

Cellerate is a diverse process technology which significantly increases total production by utilizing pre-existing assets like feedstock receiving and storage, product separation and product storage. Besides enabling additional throughput from a dry grind ethanol facility, the process also offers the following benefits:

lAdds value to protein; feed co-products with higher protein content

lIncreases distillers corn oil production

lCreates cellulosic ethanol

lProduces low carbon intense ethanol

Cellerate and Enogen corn when used together can offer optimum benefits to Industrial production of ethanol, including increased throughput and yield with reduction in production cost.

In light of increased fuel prices, dependency on other countries for fuel needs and detrimental impact on the environment due to harmful emissions, ethanol industry needs a tremendous boost. Employing modern and innovative techniques like Cellerate and Enogen in ethanol plants can play an important role in addressing these issues.

An overview of Beer Fermentation Process !

The word Beer is derived from a Latin term called bibere which means ‘to drink’. It is an alcoholic fermented drink that is derived from malted grains like wheat, barley, etc. Fermentation is an important process that goes into the making of beer. Brewery plants widely use the fermentation process to create different flavors and styles of beer.

Role of Yeast in beer fermentation

Yeasts are micro-living organisms that have been used for preparing bread, brewing beer and more. They are a specific type of unicellular fungus that grows by splitting themselves in two. Yeast is largely used in beer fermentation for converting the glucose of the malted grains into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Brewery fermentation doesn’t require any oxygen.

For best results, it’s crucial for the yeast to thrive and grow. To achieve this objective you have to create the right environment for the yeast, this includes the right temperature and ample of food (glucose) for the yeast to do its work.

Yeast is categorically identified as either an Ale yeast or lager yeast. Depending upon the recipe or the style of beer to be prepared, the brew picker picks the yeast accordingly. Ale yeast is a top-fermenting strain that works at warm temperatures, while Lager yeast, is a bottom-fermenting strain, that performs best at lower temperatures. Due to temperature differences, each yeast strain imparts vastly different flavors and aromas to the final product, thus leading to different beer styles.

Beer fermentation Process

There are different steps involved in the making of beer like malting, mashing, boiling, etc. The first two steps, especially mashing and sparging, are essentially directed towards accumulating ‘food’ for the yeast.

After the boiling process is over, the wort is cooled, strained and filtered.  Yeast is then added to the fermenting vessel. At this point, the brewing stops and fermentation begins. Fermentation is an important part of brewing technology used in brewing plants. The beer is stored for a couple of weeks at desired temperature; at room temperature (in the case of ales) and at cold temperatures (in the case of lagers). During this period yeast consumes all the sugar in the wort and spits out CO2 and alcohol as waste products.

Carbonation of Beer

Once you are done with the fermentation process, you have a non-carbonated alcoholic beer ready. You can add desired carbonation to the bottled beer, either artificially through carbonation techniques or by simply allowing the beer to naturally carbonate by allowing further fermentation of the yeast, resulting in more carbon dioxide. When this bottled drink is allowed to sit for a period ranging from a few weeks to a few months you get to taste the delicious, fizzy drinks!

Know All About Ethanol-The Benefits and the Making

Rapid depletion of natural resources(petroleum, crude oil, gasoline etc,) their rising prices and harmful emissions are the concerns that set the momentum for alternative fuel. Ethanol has emerged as the right solution to the problem. Ethanol is now being viewed as the best substitute for petroleum that is largely used by vehicles across the globe. Hence,  endeavors are being directed towards enhancing ethanol production process in several bio-based industries. Ethanol can be used in its pure form or it can be blended with other gasoline constituents.

Why ethanol is the favored substitute for petroleum?

Ethanol is a highly preferred alternative to traditional gasoline fuels because it is economical and environmental-friendly. It is produced from agricultural waste products that are rich in sugar and starch. Coming from the surplus agricultural waste, ethanol extraction does not interfere with food production. Moreover, ethanol-fueled vehicles are considered to be more eco-friendly as they emit less carbon dioxide. Even the ethanol-blended fuels such as E10 (10% ethanol and 90% gasoline) can lead to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases by up to 3.9%.

Derived primarily as a result of conversion of the sun's energy, ethanol is also a renewable source. Ethanol formation starts with photosynthesis, when crops, like sugar cane, corn etc, grow using sunlight. These feedstocks are then processed into ethanol. When it burns as fuel it emits water and carbon dioxide. This is used in the next cycle of ethanol production.

Other applications of Ethanol

Apart from being used as biofuel, ethanol is also used in the production of beverages. It is the principal component of alcoholic beverages like whiskey, rum, vodka. Ethanol also finds application in the making of paints, varnishes, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, industrial solvent etc.

Ethanol Production

Ethanol is obtained from crops or plants that have large amount of sugar or constituents that can be converted into sugar. Plants like sugarcane, sugar beets and molasses, corn, wheat, grains etc are ideal raw materials for ethanol production.Fermentation process is the most widely used method for producing ethanol. Synthetic ethanol is created from non-renewable sources like coal and gas.

Ethanol from molasses and other feedstock can be obtained by two methods- dry milling process and wet mill process. Approximately 90 percent of the grain ethanol comes from the dry milling process and the remaining 10 percent is produced from wet mills.

Dry Milling Processes includes the following processes:

● The crops or plants are grinded up for easier processing .

● The sugar present in the ground feedstock is dissolved

● Next the sugar is fermented with yeast to produce ethanol.

● The ethanol is then distilled and dehydrated to attain a higher concentration.

● Gasoline or other additive(denaturant) is then added to the product to make it suitable for further use.

Due to the growing popularity of ethanol applications, researches are being conducted to develop more advanced techniques for ethanol production.  So, in the days to come, we can look forward to more dynamic roles of ethanol.

Understanding Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Shell and tube heat exchangers are one of the most effective heat exchangers employed in various industries such as refineries and chemical industries. These process equipment are widely used in applications, which require cooling or heating a large volume of process fluids or gases. Shell and tube heat exchangers comprise a cylindrical shell with a large number of small tubes. The tubes are positioned into the cylinder using a tube bundle or "tube stack" which can either have fixed tube plates. The tubes are constructed using thermally conductive materials, which enable the exchange of heat between the hot fluids flowing outside the tubes and the coolant flowing through the tubes. These heat exchangers offer an optimal cooling solution in different fields such as Industrial, Hydraulic, Marine, Railways, etc.

Components of Shell & Tube Exchangers

The shell-and-tube heat exchanger is named for its two major components – round tubes & cylindrical shell. The shell cylinder can be fabricated from a rolled plate or from piping while the tubes are thin-walled tubing manufactured specifically to facilitate heat exchange.

● Tubes: The tubing may be seamless or welded. Tubing may consist of ‘Finns’ to provide more efficient heat transfer surface. Fins are commonly found on the outside of the tubes but are also available on the inside of the tubes. Tubes with a special surface, called high flux tubes, are used to enhance heat transfer on either or both sides of the tube wall.

● Tubesheets: Tubesheets are plates or forgings drilled to provide holes (triangular or square) for holding and inserting the tubes. Tubes are properly secured to the tube sheet to prevent the fluid on the shell side from mixing with the fluid on the tube side. The distance between the tube holes, measured from their centers, is called the tube pitch. Triangular pitch provides higher heat transfer and compactness while square pitch facilitates mechanical cleaning of the outside of the tubes.

● Baffles: Baffles are used for 3 reasons

○ To support the tubes

○ To maintain spacing between them

○ To direct the flow of fluid through the shell.

A segment, known as the baffle cut, is chipped in a way so as to permit the fluid to flow parallel to the tube axis as it flows from one baffle space to another.  The spacing between segmental baffles, called as the baffle pitch, along with the baffle cut, is used to determine the cross-flow velocity and hence the rate of heat transfer and the pressure drop.

● Tie Rods and Spacers - Tie rods and spacers are used to hold baffle assembly together & maintain the selected baffle spacing. The tie rods are secured at one end to the tube sheet and at the other end, holding the assembly together.

● Front Header: Also referred to as a stationary header, is the section from where the fluid enters the tube end of the exchanger.

● Rear Header: Is a section from where the fluid from the tube end leaves the exchanger or returns to the front header.

Working of Shell and tube heat exchanger

There are two fluids of different temperatures involved in the cooling operation, one - the process and the other - the cooling medium. The process fluid to be cooled is generally run through small diameter tubes that are housed within the shell. The outer shell, on the other hand, circulates the cooling medium. Both process and cooling fluid are kept in continuous circulation for the heat exchanger to function properly.

Applications of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Shell and tube heat exchanger is used in various industrial applications due to their expertise in performing tasks such as:

● Cooling of hydraulic and lube oil

● Cooling of turbine, compressor, and engine

● Condensing process vapor or steam

● Evaporating process liquid or steam

Benefits of using Shell and tube exchangers

Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers are used in a number of industries such as refineries because of their advantages on other types of heat exchangers. Their benefits include

● Increased efficiency of heat transfer

● Easy to dismantle, clean and repair

● Compact in size

● Capacity can be increased simply by adding plates in pairs

● Affordable as compared to plate type coolers

● Can be used in systems with high operating temperatures and pressures

Praj industries - one of the leading Heat Exchanger Suppliers in the country, offers Critical Process Equipment & Systems to various process industries such as Oil & Gas, Refining, Petrochemicals, Fertilizers, Chemicals, Food, Pharma and Biotech. Praj also offers a range of static equipment like pressure vessels, reactors, shell and tube heat exchangers, distillation columns and other proprietary equipment as per the client design.