Neutralization Section

Neutralization Section

The shortmix plant is built up as an entirely closed system and is designed to handle vegetable oils in the following operations.

De-gumming

• Acid water de-gumming
• Gum conditioning with concentrated phosphoric acid.

The above mentioned operations form stages of continuous degumming and alkali refining process and the dry neutralized oil is obtained continuously from the plant.

Acid degumming
Crude oil is pumped in a continuous and constant stream by pump p1 and heated to required temperature in the plate heat exchanger e1, mixed with pre-calculated quantity of acid in an knife mixer and fed to inline mixer wherein pre-calculated quality of water is added and fed to a precipitation tank. Oil water r1/ acid mixture r2 is allowed.

Sufficient residence time in the precipitation tank fro the gums to agglomerate on hydration and then pumped to separator where the oil and hydrated gums are separated and pumped to storage or disposal.

Gum conditioning stage
The degummed oil from separator is heated to required for refining by heat exchanger e2 and pumped to gum conditioning mixer m1 where oil is mixed with required quantity of concentrated phosphoric acid, pumped into the mixer by metering pump. The oil is allowed a brief holding time in gum conditioning mixer where precipitation of phosphatides and metal compounds take place and then fed to neutralization mixer.

Neutralisation with caustic soda
The prepared caustic lye of required strength is pumped our with the help of metering pump. The lye is mixed with the oil in neutralization mixer depending on the type of oil to be neutralized. Soap stock together with other impurities is separated in the refining separator.

Vacuum drying
Washed oil is fed continuously to the vacuum dryer and sprayed through specially designed nozzles. The vacuum dryer is kept under a vacuum of 70 torr. The dried oil from the vacuum chamber is continuously drawn and pumped by pump to intermediate storage tank.