Can Soft-Sealed Plug Valve Be Used In The Sugar Production Process?

Yes, soft-seal plug valves are very suitable for many part of sugar manufacturing and are one of the preferred valve types in many sugar plants.

Why? Because their structural features and specific requirements of sugar processing.

1. Advantages of Soft-Seal Plug Valves

1.1 Excellent Sealing Performance

The plug valve uses PTFE or other polymer materials as the valve seat seal. This soft seal structure ensures that the plug valve can achieve reliable and zero-leakage sealing in both directions during sugar production.

You can think of the sugar production process as a complex food manufacturing plant. Syrup, juice, steam are like different raw materials and energy sources. The function of this valve is to act as a "gatekeeper" at the critical points of each pipeline. Its sealing performance is particularly excellent, ensuring that the syrup does not flow into the juice line and that the steam does not leak out. As a result, the product quality is stable and the energy is all utilized effectively, without being wasted.

1.2 Smooth Full-Bore Flow Path, Clog-Resistant

The soft-sealing plug valve with full bore design has a flow channel size that perfectly matches the inner diameter of the pipeline, creating a nearly straight passage with extremely low fluid resistance.

When making sugar, the syrup is both thick and granular, and it is prone to forming lumps that block the pipes. This "unobstructed flow" design enables the syrup to flow smoothly through, without accumulation, crystallization or blockage.

This aspect is particularly crucial in the sugar-making process. Compared to the commonly used globe valves and gate valves, it is much more reliable and adept at handling thick and gritty syrup.

1.3 Easy Operation, Quick Opening/Closing

Soft seal plug valve is as simple to use as turning a faucet at home: just turn it a quarter of a circle and it will complete the on-off operation. Its soft-sealing design makes the rotation very smooth, and even if the syrup has some crystals, it won't become bitter or stick. As a result, the workers can operate it very easily, significantly reducing manpower of operating the valve.

1.4 Ease of Maintenance

The maintenance of this type of valve is particularly convenient because it adopts a "top-entry" design. This means that when it is necessary to carry out maintenance or replace the seal, you don't have to cut the entire valve off from the pipeline as before. You just need to operate online, open the upper valve cover, and it's done. The downtime is significantly reduced, and the maintenance cost has also decreased.

1.5 Good Corrosion Resistance

The valve body of the plug valve is usually made of stainless steel (such as 304 or 316L), and the valve seat of PTFE. This combination is particularly durable in sugar production: it can resist corrosion well for all kinds of substances, including weak acids and weak alkalis in fruit juices, hot water, and cleaning agents used for equipment (such as CIP cleaning agents).

2. Application in Sugar Manufacturing Processes

Clarification and Evaporation Stage: This stage is used for the diversion and cutoff of juice, clear juice, dilute juice, and syrup pipelines. Its anti-clogging property is particularly important in this process.

Crystallization and honey separation stage: This stage is used to control the flow of sugar paste and sugar honey. The materials at this stage are most prone to clogging, and the straight-flow channel of the plug valve becomes one of the ideal choices for this condition.

Heating and Condensation System: Designed for steam and condensate water pipelines, this system features excellent sealing performance, effectively preventing energy waste.

CIP (Online Cleaning) System: Used to switch the flow direction of the cleaning solution, providing reliable sealing and corrosion resistance guarantees.

3. Key Considerations for Selection and Application

Despite their high suitability, the following points require attention during application:

3.1 Temperature Limit: The continuous temperature limit for soft sealing materials (such as PTFE) is generally around 180℃ to 200℃. This temperature range is sufficient for most of the processes in sugar production (such as evaporation and heating).

However, if it is used in pipelines carrying superheated steam or high-temperature heat transfer oil, the temperature may exceed this range. In such cases, a metal-sealed (hard-sealed) stop valve needs to be used instead, or other high-temperature-resistant valves such as bellows-sealed stop valves can be selected.

3.2 Wear issue: Although soft sealing materials are not prone to clogging, if the medium contains a large amount of hard abrasive solid particles (such as iron filings and sand grains produced by pipeline corrosion), long-term high-speed flow may cause wear to the sealing surface. In such extreme conditions, a comprehensive assessment is required, or a more wear-resistant type of valve should be selected.

3.3 Pressure level: The sugar production process is mostly carried out under medium to low pressure, and the plug valve can easily handle it.

3.4 Brand & Quality: Brand and Quality: Choose brands that have a good reputation in the food and sugar production industries. Ensure that the materials meet food hygiene standards and the manufacturing process is precise to guarantee long-term sealing reliability.

Soft-seal plug valves are ideal choice for convey sugary liquids, syrups, massecuite, and other media easy to crystallization or viscosity in sugar manufacture processes. They cause the industry's most troublesome issues of clogging and leakage while being easy to operate and maintain.

When you choose, you need to confirm the specific component, temperature, and pressure of the medium, and this will avoid conditions that exceed the temperature limits of the soft-seal material or involve extreme abrasion. Under these guidelines, they can have excellent and stable performance in sugar plants. In modern factories, they are often a core valve type for process control, alongside butterfly valves and ball valves.