The Importance of a Good Cleaning System in Mist Eliminators

In the sugar and ethanol industry, fouling is a constant challenge when it comes to materials.
It is common to observe fouling in numerous pieces of equipment that have direct contact with juice/syrup/masses. It is no different in mist separators.

Fouling in mist separators is caused by the accumulation of sugars and other soluble solids from the juice/syrup/masses on the equipment walls. This can increase the pressure drop of the vapor passing through the separator, as the vapor flow area is reduced.

A solution to the fouling problem with low water consumption is to design the cleaning system with more efficient spray nozzles and near-continuous washing.

In addition to the cleaning system design, it is necessary to invest in automation, dedicate pumps with sufficient flow and pressure to clean the mist separators, and install solid particle filters in the cleaning system piping to prevent nozzle clogging.

Therefore, it is extremely important to use a cleaning system that prevents the accumulation of soluble solids—without adding excessive water to the evaporation or cooking system.