FRACTIONATION PROCESSES AND DEVICES FOR OILS AND FATS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to fractional crystallisation processes for oils and fats that aim at producing crystal slurries as well as to the crystallisers to be used in said crystallisation processes.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

In the chemicals and foods industries, fractional crystallisation processes are regularly used to purify intermediate products and/or to isolate fractions having more desirable properties than their starting materials. These starting materials can thereto be dissolved in a solvent to provide a solution that is then subjected to a fractional crystallisation process. They can also be melted whereupon the melt is then partially crystallised. During such crystallisation processes, the temperature of the solution or melt is lowered causing the solution or melt to become supersaturated and generate crystal nuclei. On further cooling, these nuclei grow into macroscopic crystals and form a crystal slurry. This slurry is then subjected to a separation process which can be a continuous process using a drum filter, a continuous band filter, a sieve centrifuge or a decanter, or it can be a discontinuous separation process employing a filter press such as a plate and frame or a membrane filter press. In the fractionation of edible oils and fats, such membrane filter presses are now standard equipment (Th. Willner and K. Weber, "High-pressure dry fractionation for confectionary fat production", Lipid Technology vol. 6, pages 56-60, 1994).

An advantage of such membrane press filters is that they leave relatively little interstitial oil between the fat crystals and thus generate a relatively pure filter cake. Other ways of achieving same, involve using a solvent, which will dilute the interstitial oil, and especially washing the filter cake with clean solvent to dilute the interstitial solution even further. So whereas for the fractionation of edible oils and fats the so-called 'dry fractionation process' is generally preferred since it does not involve the use of highly inflammable solvents such as acetone or hexane, some products can only be obtained by

using solvents during their fractional crystallisation.

In the dry fractionation process, the fat to be fractionated is melted and then cooled in a crystalliser to produce a slurry of fat crystals in its mother liquor. This slurry is then separated into a filtrate that is commonly referred to as the 'olein fraction' and a filter cake that is called the 'stearin fraction'. The properties of the olein mainly depend upon the final crystallisation temperature whereas the properties of the stearin fraction depend only slightly on this temperature but strongly on its olein content.

For the industrial dry fractionation of edible oils and fats, a batch crystallisation process is generally preferred despite the fact that a continuous process is likely to be considerably cheaper. Such batch processes allow of better control of the crystallisation process parameters such as temperature and intensity of agitation. In addition, such batch processes have the advantage over continuous processes in that the temperature of the batch crystalliser is raised above the melting point of the feedstock during each batch cycle. Accordingly, any crystal deposits on the crystalliser walls or cooling elements will be removed by being melted and no special wipers to clean these surfaces such as for instance described in U.S. Patent No. 6,355,218 are needed. A simple batch crystallisation vessel used for the dry fractionation of edible oils and fats is the so-called " tubular crystalliser ". This is a tall, cylindrical, double-walled vessel fitted with a central, axial agitator. Heat transfer is through the vessel wall and to ascertain a cooling surface of e.g. 7 m ² per m ³ crystalliser volume, the diameter of such tubular crystallisers has to be limited to 0.6 m at most. Since agitators that are longer than 5 m would require an extra sturdy execution, the volume of this type of crystalliser is in practice limited to approximately 1.4 m ³ ; it is therefore mainly used for low- volume speciality fats, and less for bulk products such as palm oil.

For the fractionation of for example palm oil, large crystallisation vessels are usually needed and various ways of providing additional cooling surface have been developed (see fig. 11.8 at page 200 in Introduction to Fats and Oils Technology, R.D. O'Brien, W. E. Farr and P.J. Wan Eds. AOCS Press, Champaign, Illinois). These can entail cooling coils winding their way inside

the crystallisation vessel from bottom to top (F. Tirtiaux, " Le fractionnement industriel des corps gras par crystallisation dirigee - procede Tirtiaux " in Oleagineux (1976) 31 :279-285), whereby a specially designed central agitator ensures both homogeneity of the temperature inside the vessel and prevents crystals from depositing. However, the agitating action in this construction does not extend right to the bottom of the cylindrical vessel. This may cause crystals to settle at the bottom and stay behind when the vessel is emptied. Similarly, crystals may also stay behind between the cooling coils and the vessel wall and on top of the cooling coils. This is the problem that also faces the crystalliser described for use in a batch process in Belgian Patent No. 1 ,005,617.

This problem has been partially overcome by fitting first vertical cooling tubes and then vertical cooling fins instead of tubes inside the vessel and so avoiding crystals to stay behind on top of the heat exchanger elements. Moreover, by directing the flow of oil towards those fins, a good heat transfer coefficient of some 70-100 W/m ² K is ascertained. However, the problem of incomplete emptying of the vessel once the liquid level has dropped below the lowest agitator blade remains.

A substantial increase in cooling surface per unit volume of oil has been realised in a crystalliser comprising concentric annular crystallisation compartments that are separated by concentric, annular, double-walled cooling elements. In addition, this type of crystalliser also exhibits an increased heat transfer coefficient of about 120-170 VWm ² K presumably because the agitator blades move very close to the heat exchange surfaces. However, this type of crystalliser is complex in construction and therefore expensive to build. Because the agitator blades are mounted on spokes connected to a central agitator shaft and move inside the annular compartments, these must be perfectly circular to prevent the blades from scraping the walls. Besides, including a labyrinth inside the double-walled cooling elements is not easy. The problem of incomplete emptying has been solved by emptying the crystalliser as rapidly as possible into an intermediate storage vessel from where the separation equipment is being fed. This rapid emptying has the advantage that it allows more batches to be crystallised in a

given time period and thus to make more effective use of an expensive piece of equipment.

Finally, a totally different solution to the problem of increasing the cooling surface per unit of volume, and especially increasing the heat transfer coefficient, is presented by the STAR-crystalliser shown in figure 2 of K. Weber et al. " Fat crystallizers with stirring surfaces: theory and practice " in OCL (1998) 5(5):381-384. This crystalliser is provided with an agitator that is an assembly of tubes that form a conduit for the heat exchange medium (cooling water). The assembly rotates and the rotation is eccentric. Heat transfer coefficients as high as 300 WAm ² K have been measured for this type of apparatus on liquid oil.

All the prior art crystallisers described above have in common that they are provided with rotating agitators the various points of which do not move at substantially the same linear speed. Accordingly, the agitation within these crystallisers is far from uniform in that the linear velocities (speeds) of various points of the agitator vary widely according to their distance to the axis of rotation. In a cylindrical crystallisation vessel with a diameter of 4 m, the agitator tip speed will be already 3 m/s when the agitator rotates 15 times per minute but close to the agitator axis, this linear speed is much lower. This lack of uniformity of linear agitation speed is believed by the present inventors to have a significantly deleterious impact upon the morphology of the crystals formed during the fractional crystallisation process of oils and fats, and upon their behaviour during the subsequent separation stage.

BE 877,839-A relates to agitated heat exchangers for crystallised syrups. It discloses a vertical cylindrical vessel comprising a heat exchanger spirally arranged in a horizontal plane and to which is imparted a vertical downward and upward motion, and states that this construction allows for a better agitation than that obtained by means of a disc or a rotative blade.

DE 552,532 discloses a crystallisation vessel wherein a cooling hollow body and a drive are suspended. The drive imparts to the cooling hollow body a jerky vertical motion or a pendular motion around an axis in a horizontal direction.

GB 2,100,613-A discloses producing a metallic slurry in which a metallic

material is agitated by a reciprocating agitator. For instance the agitator is a plate or disc and is reciprocated in a direction substantially perpendicular to its major plane.

JP 07-284,643 discloses an agitated vessel for fishery product, said vessel comprising a plate impeller freely detachably hung from a rectilinearly reciprocating slider, wherein the impeller is inclined to the moving direction of said slider. JP 2002-210,399 teaches preventing sedimentation of a solid content in a coating liquid filled in a stirred tank by horizontally reciprocally moving a water-feed panel arranged within said tank, said panel comprising a bent blade material bent to a V-shaped cross section and a bent blade material bent to a reverse V-shaped cross section; in this embodiment, the agitating blades are inclined to the moving direction.

GB 1 ,424,049 discloses an apparatus suitable for carrying out transformation processes of a non-metallic substance from liquid to solid phase, such as crystallization, comprising a vertically extending hollow reaction chamber having a horizontal cross-sectional shape in the form of a polygon.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide improved crystallisation processes for edible oils and fats by using improved crystallisers. An advantage of the present invention is that it can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the fractional crystallisation processes for edible oils and fats using known crystallisers. An advantage of the present invention is the provision of crystallisation process that can effectively be used for the fractional crystallisation of a wide variety of fats and oils, and that employs a crystallisation vessel displaying little hold-up of crystals upon emptying.

An advantage of the present invention is the provision of improved crystallisers that are easy to construct and maintain, and the design of which can effectively be used, especially in the edible oil and fat industry, for a wide range of capacities without up-scaling problems.

An advantage of the invention is the provision of improved crystallisers

with a high cooling surface area per unit of crystalliser volume and with a design that allows this area to be increased or decreased in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the crystalliser performance.

An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a crystalliser with an improved heat transfer coefficient over crystallisers known in the art.

An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a crystallisation process for edible oils and fats that allows crystal slurries with a high solids content to be produced and processed in a cost-effective manner.

An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a crystallisation process for edible oils and fats that allows crystal slurries to be produced that exhibit superior filtration characteristics.

An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a crystallisation process that can be used in both solvent fractionation processes and dry fractionation processes. An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a batch crystallisation process for edible oils and fats making use of one or more crystallisers meeting one or more of the aforesaid improved features.

An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a continuous crystallisation process for edible oils and fats making use of one or more crystallisers meeting one or more of the aforesaid features.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As will be demonstrated in the examples illustrating the invention, it has surprisingly been found, in a first aspect, that during the dry or solvent fractionation of oils and fats one or more of the aforesaid advantages can be achieved when using a crystalliser comprising a crystallisation vessel (1 ,2), an agitator or agitator assembly, and a drive, wherein said drive provides said agitator or agitator assembly with an oscillating motion (e.g. a reciprocating motion) and/or a rotating motion around an axis, with the proviso that the various points of said agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed. A particular feature of this invention is the same linear

speed for each point of the agitator or agitator assembly when the latter is provided with a rotating motion around the axis, e.g. a horizontal or a vertical axis. During performance of the fractionation process of the invention, the lower part of the agitator or agitator assembly is immersed within the contents of the crystallisation vessel (1 ,2). A rotating motion according to the present invention includes both a full rotation (i.e. 360° around the axis, clockwise and/or anticlockwise) and a more limited rotation (e.g. a pendular motion). A rotating motion according to the present invention includes a rotation in such a way that each point of the agitator or agitator assembly describes a circle of substantially the same diameter in a vertical or horizontal plane. The edible oil and fat fractionation process of the present invention is not limited to any specific type of agitator assembly construction, or to any combination of agitator motions, provided that at substantially each time of performance of the process each point of the agitator assembly moves at substantially the same linear speed. Just as one non-limiting example, the agitator assembly may be provided with an elliptic motion by combining a rotation around an horizontal axis and a vertical translation of said axis.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides novel constructions of crystallisers that are suitable for industries such as, but not limited to, the edible oil or fat industry. In a first embodiment of this second aspect, the crystalliser comprises a crystallisation vessel (1 ,2), an agitator or agitator assembly, and a drive, wherein said drive provides said agitator or agitator assembly with a rotating motion around an axis, and wherein each point of said agitator or agitator assembly moves at substantially the same linear speed. Within this first embodiment, the crystallisation vessel (1 ,2) preferably has a polygonal cross-section, especially when designed for containing edible oils and fats. In a second embodiment of this second aspect, the crystalliser comprises a crystallisation vessel (1 ,2) having a polygonal cross-section, an agitator or agitator assembly, and a drive, wherein said drive provides said agitator or agitator assembly with an oscillating motion (e.g. a reciprocating motion), and wherein said agitator or agitator assembly is not inclined with respect to the moving direction (contrary to the teaching of the prior art). Within second embodiment, preferably each point of said agitator moves at

substantially the same linear speed. Additional optional features of these novel crystallisers are defined in the appended set of claims.

The aforesaid important features of the first and second aspect of this invention are especially useful in the fractionation processes as employed in the oils and fats industry. Crystals grown during a dry fractionation process or solvent fractionation process of edible oil in a crystalliser provided with an agitator or agitator assembly, the various parts of which move at substantially the same linear speed through the crystalliser contents, happen to be substantially uniform in size and morphology; this is a totally unexpected finding. Consequently, the crystals are easier to separate from the mother liquor, and the amount of mother liquor retained within the crystals is reduced, thus causing the yield of the filtrate to increase and the fractional crystallisation to become more specific.

It has also most unexpectedly been found that a crystalliser according to the invention can handle crystal slurries with a higher solid fat content (hereinafter referred as SFC) than crystallisers of the prior art, which has the great advantage that the crystallisers according to the invention can achieve in a single fractionation step, especially in a dry fractionation process for oils or fats, a result for which the prior art processes needed two or more successive fractionation steps.

Moreover, whereas crystallisers of the prior art all aim at a homogeneity of the crystalliser contents with respect to temperature and/or SFC of the crystal slurry, it has surprisingly been found by performing the present invention that lacking homogeneity with respect to temperature and/or SFC of the slurry does not lead to poor fractionation results. On the contrary, excellent results have been observed in pilot plant crystallisers according to the invention when used for the fractionation of palm oil, displaying both a temperature gradient and sedimentation of the crystals formed. The consequence of this observation is that the process according to the invention suitably lends itself to continuous fractionation processes for edible oils and fats.

The present invention thus provides a method for the crystallisation of edible oils and fats in a crystalliser comprising a crystallisation vessel (1 ,2), an

agitator or agitator assembly, and cooling means, the method comprising driving said agitator with an oscillating and/or rotating motion around a horizontal or vertical axis, provided that each point of said agitator moves at substantially the same linear speed. In this embodiment, the cooling means may be part of the agitator or agitator assembly, or may be placed between two or more elements of said agitator or agitator assembly, or both.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the top part of a first embodiment of a crystalliser for use in fractionation processes according to the invention wherein an agitator or agitator assembly is provided with a linear, horizontal reciprocating motion.

FIG. 2 shows a partially cut away of a second embodiment of a crystalliser for use in fractionation processes according to the invention with an agitator or agitator assembly being provided with an oscillating motion. FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal cross section through an embodiment of a crystalliser for use in fractionation processes according to the invention wherein two different types of parallel cooling elements partition the crystallisation vessel into compartments and wherein the agitator or agitator assembly is positioned in between said cooling elements and is provided with a reciprocating motion.

FIG. 4 shows traversal cross-sections through three further embodiments of crystallisers that can be used in fractionation processes according to the invention wherein the agitator or agitator assembly is provided with (A) an oscillating motion, (B) a full rotating motion around a horizontal axis, and (C) a horizontal reciprocating motion, respectively.

FIG. 5 shows traversal cross-sections through two further embodiments of crystallisers for use in fractionation processes according to the invention wherein the agitator or agitator assembly is provided with a vertical reciprocating motion. FIG. 6 shows the top part of a further embodiment of a crystalliser for use in the fractionation processes according to the invention wherein the agitator assembly rotates around a vertical axis.

FIG. 7 schematically shows a continuous fractionation process for edible

oils according to the invention using a number of crystallisers in series.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to the drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described herein are only schematic and illustrative and non-limiting.

Based on the above-mentioned important findings, a first aspect of the present invention relates to fractionation processes for edible oils and fats making use of a crystalliser comprising a crystallisation vessel (1 ,2), an agitator or agitator assembly, cooling means, and a drive, characterised in that said drive provides said agitator or agitator assembly with an oscillating motion and/or a rotating motion around an axis, such as vertical or horizontal axis, with the proviso that the various points of said agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed, especially when the agitator or agitator assembly is provided with a rotating motion around the said axis. The fractionation process for edible oils or fats according to this invention may be a solvent fractionation process wherein the oil or fat to be fractionated is dissolved in a suitable solvent, or a mixture of suitable solvents, for the relevant oil or fat. The fractionation process for edible oils or fats according to this invention may also be a dry fractionation process wherein the oil or fat to be fractionated is simply molten without addition of a solvent. In a specific embodiment, the present invention relates to a system wherein the cooling means constitute a part of the agitator or agitator assembly, or are included in said agitator or agitator assembly. In another specific embodiment, the present invention relates to a system wherein the cooling means are separate from the agitator or agitator assembly and wherein said cooling means comprises one or more parallel cooling elements that partition said crystallisation vessel into compartments and wherein said agitator or agitator assembly is positioned in between said elements. In yet another specific embodiment, the present invention relates to a system wherein said cooling means is both part of said agitator or agitator assembly and comprises one or more parallel cooling elements that partition said crystallisation vessel into

compartments and wherein said agitator or agitator assembly is positioned in between said elements. In all these specific embodiments, an important feature is that the agitator or agitator assembly is driven in such a way that it has one or more of the three specific types of motion stated above. When the agitator or agitator assembly is driven to have a combination of two or more types of motion stated above, the type of combination is not critical for the present invention. For instance, the agitator or agitator assembly may be provided with an oscillating motion combined, simultaneously or subsequently, with a reciprocating motion. In an alternative embodiment, the agitator or agitator assembly may be provided with an oscillating motion combined, simultaneously or subsequently, with a rotating motion around a horizontal axis wherein the various points of said rotating agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed. In yet an alternative embodiment, the agitator or agitator assembly may be provided with a reciprocating motion combined, simultaneously or subsequently, with a rotating motion around a horizontal axis wherein the various points of said rotating agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed. Depending upon circumstances such as the viscosity and/or type of material to be crystallised, the shape of the crystallisation vessel and the like, the skilled person can readily design a suitable combination of motions by merely using the principles of the invention that derive from the above- described unexpected findings.

Whereas prior art crystallisers used for the dry fractionation of edible oils and fats invariably comprise cylindrical vessels that are often double-walled and thus expensive to construct, the crystallisation vessels used in the fractionation processes according to the invention preferably have a polygonal cross-section (wherein the said polygonal cross-section preferably includes from 3 to 8 walls, more preferably from 4 to 6 walls), preferably rectangular as illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2 or square. For hygienic and product quality reasons, the crystallisation vessel of said crystalliser is preferably made of stainless steel. In order to save on this expensive construction material, said crystallisation vessel can comprise relatively thin (for instance about 3 or 4 mm in thickness) rectangular walls 1 and 2 that are supported and contained

by a cage construction made of mild steel sections 3 as illustrated in FIG. 2. This cage construction can also incorporate two opposite rails 4 running in the longitudinal direction of the crystallisation vessel and supporting the agitator or agitator assembly as shown in FIG. 1. The crystalliser vessel is preferably provided with a feed inlet (not shown in the figures) for the starting material to be crystallised, which can be a solution or a melt, and an outlet (not shown in the figures) for the partially crystallised product resulting from operating the process according to the invention. For the vessel bottom, a slope of about 10 to 30 degrees (depending upon the viscosity and type of material to be crystallised), preferably about 15° with respect to the horizontal, has been found to be adequate to ensure complete emptying of the crystallisation vessel by drainage. Several embodiments for constructing a suitable outlet are readily available to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the above-mentioned slope continues right to the opposite wall of the vessel, whereas in another embodiment, two bottom halves are directed towards the centre of the crystallisation vessel. In addition, the vessel bottom can also be made to have a slope in its longitudinal direction to further facilitate complete emptying of the vessel at the lowest point thereof. The partially cut away wall 1 of the crystallisation vessel then has the shape of a rectangular trapezium. The agitator or agitator assembly preferable extends to the sloping bottom so that this can also have a rectangular trapezoidal aspect.

For ease of construction, the crystallisation vessel walls 1 and 2 and vessel bottom, or bottom parts, are preferably made from flat sheet material (e.g. stainless steel sheets). A bottom that is curved in one direction and that can therefore also be constructed from a flat sheet constitutes another embodiment of the crystallisation vessel to be used in the fractionation process according to the invention. In general, there will be no need for the incorporation of double walls. Proper thermal insulation of walls and bottom will normally ensure proper functioning of said crystallisation vessel.

The crystalliser to be used in the fractionation processes for edible oils and fats of this invention is preferably provided with a lid (not shown in FIGS 1 and 2) in order to prevent dirt from falling into the product being crystallised

and/or to thermally insulate this product from its environment. This lid does not need to support any heavy auxiliary equipment like an agitator, so its construction can be quite light. In one advantageous but non-limiting embodiment, the lid is preferably provided with sight-glasses and appropriate lighting. If the crystalliser is used in a solvent fractionation process according to the invention, the lid should preferably be sufficiently air tight to retain the solvent inside the crystallisation vessel.

One or more of the same or different types of cooling surfaces can be provided together with or incorporated into the crystalliser used in the fractionation processes according to the invention in a number of different approaches. In one such approach (A), the agitator or agitator assembly itself acts as a heat exchanger and comprises a conduit for a heat exchange medium that is connected to an inlet and an outlet for said heat exchange medium. The crystalliser also comprises a drive, and according to the invention, each point of said agitator or agitator assembly moves at substantially the same linear speed when put in motion by said drive. FIG. 2 and 3 schematically show non-limiting embodiments of approach (A).

Another approach (B) comprises stationary heat exchange elements (i.e. elements able to cool the molten or dissolved edible oil or fat) that may entail the partitioning of the crystalliser (i.e. the crystallisation vessel) by hollow elements acting as heat exchangers. Said hollow elements may comprise flat, double-walled heat exchangers that have been provided with an internal labyrinth or a series of parallel hollow tubes. Two embodiments of approach (B) have been illustrated in FIG. 3 that also shows how the elements of the agitator or agitator assembly may be positioned in between these partitioning heat exchange (i.e. cooling) elements.

In a third approach (C) that is a combination of the approaches (A) and (B), both the partitioning elements and the agitator or agitator assembly act as heat exchangers. The three approaches in the construction of a crystalliser for use in fractionation processes according to the present invention, as described hereinabove, differ in the cooling surface area per unit of crystallisation vessel volume and/or in the heat transfer coefficient achieved by the system. The

choice of the best suitable approach depends upon the circumstances, inter alia upon parameters such as, but not limited to, the oil or fat to be crystallised, the presence and amount of a solvent and the type of solvent, the cooling requirements of the fractional crystallisation process concerned, and the like. Solvent fractionation processes generally permit rapid cooling and thus require both a maximum cooling area per unit of the crystallisation vessel volume and a maximum heat transfer coefficient. Consequently approach (A) will often be a suitable choice for use in the performance of a solvent fractionation process according to the invention. If approach (A) does not allow for a sufficiently fast crystallisation of a certain material, then approach (C) can be used as a most suitable alternative.

To obtain crystals with favourable filtration characteristics in a dry fractionation process for oils or fats according to the invention, a lower cooling rate is generally preferred, so that approaches (A) and (B) are generally most suited. Approach (B) comprising stationary heat exchange (i.e. cooling) elements will in general provide a lower heat transfer coefficient than approach (A), a difference which can suitably be compensated by correspondingly adapting the cooling surface area. The non-stationary cooling surface of approach (A) is often preferred for crystallisers operating in a continuous fractionation process, e.g. a continuous dry fractionation process, since they minimise the risk of incrustation.

The agitator or agitator assembly, all points of which move according to the invention, at substantially the same linear speed when put in motion by the drive can be executed in various ways without departing from the principles underlying the present invention. In the embodiment according to approach (A) and illustrated in FIG. 1 , rails 4 are provided close to or on the top of opposite longitudinal walls 1 of the crystallisation vessel and act as a support for the agitator assembly. This assembly comprises a rectangular steel frame having longitudinal portions 5 to which one or more wheels 7 have been fastened, and transverse portions 6 parallel to the transverse walls 2 of the crystallisation vessel. These wheels 7 allow the agitator or agitator assembly to be provided with a reciprocating motion along rails 4. The steel frame (5, 6) also supports a conduit for a heat exchange medium. An embodiment of such

a conduit as illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises two hollow headers 8 and 9 that are parallel to rails 4 and are connected to the frame (5, 6). The hollow header 8 is connected to a supply source (not shown) of the heat exchange medium, usually water, and the other hollow header 9 is connected to a heat exchange medium return inlet (not shown). Both connections of the hollow headers 8 and 9 should preferably be flexible enough to allow the agitator assembly to move along rails 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the two hollow headers 8 and 9 are connected to each other by a series of hollow distributors 10 and 11 in such a way that the hollow distributor 10 is connected to the cooling medium supply header 8 and only supported by the hollow header 9, whereas the hollow distributor 11 is connected to the hollow header 9 and only supported by header 8. The hollow distributors 10 and 11 are connected to each other by U-shaped tubes 12 that extend down to the bottom of the crystallisation vessel and ensure proper heat exchange. The heat exchange medium (usually water) thus flows from the hollow header 8 into the first or any odd-numbered hollow distributor 10, through U-shaped cooling tubes 12, into odd-numbered hollow distributors 11 , to be collected by the hollow header 9 that is connected to the heat exchange medium return system. Orifice plates can be inserted in the connections between the hollow distributor 11 and the hollow header 9 to ensure that the system is completely filled with heat exchange medium and that the flow rate of said heat exchange medium through each tube or hollow section is approximately the same. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.1 , the U-shaped cooling tubes can be connected to each other at some lower point to provide rigidity to the agitator or agitator assembly.

Rails 4 allowing motion of the agitator or agitator assembly are preferably not immersed into the oil or fat being crystallised. The hollow headers 8 and 9 are preferably located below the surface of the crystal- containing slurry. Otherwise moisture from the air may condense on these hollow headers, fall down and contaminate the product being crystallised.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of an agitator or agitator assembly according to approach (A) of the present invention. In this embodiment, the transversal portions 6 of the rectangular steel frame are connected via swivels

13 to stationary bars 14 that are connected to the walls 1 of a rectangular or square-shaped crystallisation vessel. A further stationary bar 15 supports a piston 16 that is also attached to the transverse frame portion 6. Movement of the piston 16 provides the agitator or agitator assembly, comprising hollow headers 8 and 9, hollow distributors 10 and 11 and U-shaped tubes 12 attached to the frame (5 and 6), with an oscillating motion in such a way that all points of said agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed.

Although this is not a limiting feature, a crystalliser according to the present invention preferably has a cooling surface in the range of about 2 to 10 m ² /m ³ , more preferably about 4 to 6 m ² /m ³ . In the approach (A) of construction, this can easily be achieved by incorporating for instance some 15 U-shaped tubes of 50 mm diameter per square meter of surface of the crystallisation vessel. Attaching the U-shaped tubes at 100 mm intervals to the hollow distributors 10 and 11 , and spacing the latter at some 350 mm distance achieves the above stated range for the cooling surface. In addition, it provides a sturdy assembly that can easily be moved as a whole even when the U-shaped cooling tubes 12 have been made by bending 6 m long tubes. This example relates to a standard ex-factory length which is commensurate with an industrial crystalliser according to the invention of some 3 m height. Moreover, just as the agitator assembly shown in FIG.1 , the rigidity of the assembly shown in FIG.2 can also be further ascertained by connecting the cooling tubes 12 to each other at some lower point.

The connection points of the U-shaped cooling tubes 12 to the hollow distributors 10 and 11 can be but need not be staggered. Staggering constitutes a preferred embodiment since it increases the heat transfer coefficient of the crystalliser used in fractionation processes according to the invention. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Approach (B) is illustrated by a longitudinal cross section through an embodiment of a crystalliser in FIG. 3. This shows that the partitioning elements may be double-walled dividers 17 as shown on the right hand side of FIG. 3. or horizontal tubular heat exchangers 18 as shown on the left hand side of FIG.3; these tubes may also be positioned vertically. A distance of

about 40 cm between these dividers 17 or 18 also ensures a cooling surface of some 5 m ² per m ³ of the crystallisation vessel. This distance is sufficient for enabling a rotating motion of agitator elements 19. This rotating motion can be around a horizontal axis as illustrated schematically in FIG.4B or around a vertical axis as illustrated by FIG.6. Increasing the distance between dividers 17 or 18 to about 50 cm decreases the cooling surface to 4 m ² /m ³ , a value which is still within the preferred range of this invention.

In the embodiment according to approach (B) illustrated in FIG. 3, each agitator element 19 is shaped like a gate. It can be attached to pistons 20 that provide the agitator with a reciprocating vertical motion. In another embodiment it can be attached via swivels to a device (such as, but not limited to, a crankshaft, or alternatively eccentric wheels 21 as shown in FIG. 4B) whereby the gate-shaped agitator elements can be attached to each other by frame portion 22 to form an agitator assembly. When the crankshaft is rotated or wheels 21 are rotated, the agitator assembly is provided with a rotating motion around a horizontal axis whereby all points of said agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed. Wheels 21 can also be used to provide the agitator with an oscillating motion if so desired.

Another embodiment according to approach (B) comprises partitioning elements comprising a series of parallel, vertical hollow tubes through which the cooling medium flows. This medium can for example be fed via a mains that is situated in a bottom corner of the crystallisation vessel and parallel to its longitudinal direction, and that is connected to a series of horizontal distributor pipes that are perpendicular to the mains. Each horizontal distributor pipe can then feed a series of parallel, vertical cooling tubes. These tubes are then connected to a series of collectors whereby these connections may comprise orifice plates to ensure an even distribution of the cooling medium through the cooling tubes. The heat exchange partitioning elements preferably have the cooling medium fed at their lowest point especially when the crystalliser is used in a continuous fractionation process according to the invention, but the invention is in no way limited to this embodiment.

Yet another embodiment of a crystalliser to be used in the process according to the invention is shown in FIG. 6. It illustrates a rectangular

crystallisation vessel with walls 1 and 2 that is surrounded by mild steel sections 3 that also comprise horizontal bars 23 above the vessel. Extending downward from bars 23 are a number of supports 24, the lower ends of which are provided with a circular disc 25 that is attached to the support 24 by a ball bearing in the centre of the disc 25. Further supports 26 are attached excentrically to discs 25 and a crossbar 27 is attached to the supports 26. The agitator assembly 28 is attached to crossbars 27 and when one of the discs 25 is made to rotate by drive 29, the whole agitator assembly 28 will rotate around a vertical axis whereby each point of said agitator assembly 28 moves at substantially the same linear speed. Instead of providing a rotating motion, drive 29 could also be a piston so that the resulting periodic motion of agitator assembly 28 will be an oscillating motion around a vertical axis.

According to the invention, the motion of the agitator or agitator assembly can also be a reciprocating motion in a horizontal plane as illustrated in FIG.1 and FIG. 4C wherein for instance a double piston drive ensures this type of motion. This embodiment of the invention is not limited to using a double piston drive, and an electrically driven rotating motion that is converted into a reciprocating motion is also within the scope of the invention. In practice, the double piston drive embodiment has been found effective and adequate by ensuring a reliable operation of the crystalliser and by requiring little maintenance.

In industrial scale crystallisers used in the fractionation processes according to the invention, an amplitude of agitation of about 20 to 100 cm, preferably about 30 to 50 cm, and/or a frequency of agitation of about 5 to 50 min ^~ \ preferably about 15 to 30 min ^"1 have been found suitable to ensure a proper heat transfer in most situations and to generate fat crystals that can be easily separated from their mother liquor.

Instead ofor in addition to moving the agitator or agitator assembly within a horizontal plane, the agitator or agitator assembly can also be moved up and down within a vertical plane as shown in FIG.3 and FIG. 5. A combination of these two types of motions is shown in FIG. 4B where the agitator assembly rotates around a horizontal axis; this embodiment can be suitably performed e.g. by attaching the agitator to a crankshaft or eccentrically to wheels 21.

In the embodiment according to approach (B) comprising for instance double-walled partitioning elements, the agitator motion is preferably a reciprocating motion in a vertical direction as illustrated by FIG.3 and FIG. 5, or a rotating motion around a horizontal axis as illustrated by FIG. 4B. The agitator motion can also be a reciprocating motion in a horizontal direction as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4C, a rotating motion around a horizontal axis as shown in FIG. 4B, or a rotating or oscillating motion around a vertical axis as shown in FIG.6. A horizontal reciprocating motion parallel to the partitioning elements has also been found to be an effective way of agitation when applied to the crystallisation of oils and fats. Combinations of these various periodic motions also fall within the scope of the present invention.

The reciprocating vertical motion shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 shows a drive comprising two pistons. When these pistons operate perfectly in phase, all points of the agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed. The two pistons can also operate slightly out of phase without departing from the present invention. When for example the left hand piston 2OA in FIG.5A is slightly ahead of the right hand piston 2OB, the agitator gate will be slightly tilted in an anti-clockwise direction when the pistons are both moving down. After piston 2OA has reached its lowest position, it moves upwards again while piston 2OB is still moving downwards. This causes the agitator assembly to rotate in a clockwise direction around a horizontal axis. Accordingly, all points of the agitator or agitator assembly move at substantially the same linear speed during most of the time, but not during the short period of time when the pistons are out of phase, which period of time is limited by the clearance between the agitator or agitator assembly and the walls of the crystallisation vessel as well as being affected by the length of the piston stroke. This kind of agitator motion must be regarded as within the scope of the invention. Similarly, inertia and lack of absolute rigidity of the agitator assembly will cause some parts of said assembly to continue moving in one direction when the drive forces other parts thereof to move in the opposite direction. Again, this kind of agitator assembly motion must be regarded as within the scope of the invention.

When the agitator or agitator assembly is moved in accordance with the

invention, it exerts no net lifting force onto the surrounding slurry so that any crystals the latter contains can easily settle, said crystals having a higher density than oil. In general, we have found that crystals settling is not damaging for fractionation results. If nevertheless the avoidance of crystal settling would be desirable in a specific situation, crystals settling can be effectively avoided by fitting the agitator or agitator assembly with hinged scoops that lift the crystal material when the agitator moves in one direction but do not force it down when the agitator moves in the reverse direction.

The process according to any of the above-described embodiments of the invention is eminently suitable for the batch dry fractionation of edible oils and fats such as, but not limited to, palm oil. In this batch process, molten oil or fat is introduced into the crystallisation vessel and, if any residual crystals stayed behind from the previous batch, these residual crystals easily melt so that a homogenous starting material results. The preferably homogeneous starting material can then be subjected to a cooling regime that may however be preceded by a heating step to erase any crystal memory still present, and comprises one or more gradual cooling periods and possibly one or more temperature holding periods. The number of cooling periods, the cooling rate of each said cooling period, and the duration of each temperature holding period, if any, are not critical to the batch fractionation process of the present invention, and can be determined for each type of oil or fat based on the standard knowledge of the person skilled in the art.

The final batch temperature determines both the olein properties and the amount of crystals produced when equilibrium is reached. In practice, the fractionation process may also be stopped before equilibrium has been reached so that more crystals may be formed in the slurry awaiting the subsequent separation step. The resulting crystal slurry may be held in the crystallisation vessel during a waiting stage, but it may also be dropped from the crystallisation vessel into one or more intermediate storage vessels serving for feeding the separation equipment of the subsequent separation step. An agitator of a type standard in the art is preferably fitted to this intermediate storage vessel to prevent the crystal slurry from settling before it enters the separation equipment.

In industrial practice, each of a number of crystallisation vessels is filled in turn with the material, e.g. the oil or fat, to be crystallised, and when each batch has been crystallised to the desired extent, the contents of each crystallisation vessel can then be dropped into an intermediate storage tank. The separation equipment used for separating crystals from their mother liquor can be of any type known in the art, i.e. it can be suitable for continuous operation but it can also be suitable for batch-wise operation.

The crystalliser according to any of the above-described embodiments of this invention is also suitable for performing a continuous fractionation processof oils and fats, as illustrated in FIG. 7. As shown in the top left portion of this figure, the oil feed stream is first heated and kept in a holding vessel where crystal memory is erased. Because the process is continuous, the energy requirements of the heating and subsequent cooling can be reduced by the use of economisers. The number of crystallisers in series in the continuous fractionation process according to the invention can be three as shown in FIG. 7 as a well-performing but non-limiting example, but more or fewer crystallisers can be used as well to meet special fractionation requirements. Although the first crystalliser can also be used to cool the oil feed stream to about 3 to 8°C above the temperature at which crystallisation is due to commence, this cooling is preferably effected in a heat exchanger upstream from the first crystallisation vessel as shown in the top right portion of FIG. 7, for instance a heat exchanger of the tube and shell type well known in the art. Because of the final product temperature aimed for, there is no risk of crystal deposition inside this heat exchanger provided that the temperature difference between the oil product and the coolant (e.g. water) is not too large.

Each crystalliser used in the continuous dry fractionation process according to the invention comprises a crystallisation vessel. The latter comprises a feed inlet that is preferably constructed in such a way that the feed hardly mixes with the vessel contents and remains floating on top of said contents. To this end, horizontal sheets may be provided onto which the feed stream is directed through a multitude of mouths and from where the feed stream flows horizontally into the crystallisation vessel, just like cream is spread on top of an Irish coffee by pouring it slowly on the backside of a

spoon. Said horizontal sheets are therefore preferably located just below the vessel content surface and they can be conveniently attached to the agitator.

Each crystallisation vessel used in the continuous dry fractionation process according to the invention also comprises an outlet that collects material from the lowest part of said vessel. A possible way of controlling the liquid (mother liquor) level in said vessel is by connecting said outlet to a mounting tube that is connected to a bend at the desired level. When then the crystallisation vessel is filled, the liquid level in said tube rises until the material starts to overflow into a downstream crystalliser and thus maintains the liquid level at a fixed position. The diameter of said mounting tube must be sufficiently narrow so that the flow rate inside said tube is able to entrain any crystals possibly entering said tube, but not so narrow as to cause a large difference in height between the bend in the tube and the liquid level in the crystallisation vessel. Designing the appropriate tube diameter by taking both conflicting requirements into account is within the general knowledge of the person skilled in the art.

When using the crystalliser in a continuous fractionation process according to the invention of oils and fats, the lifting of crystals due to agitator motion is preferably avoided. Accordingly, vertical movement inside the crystallisation vessel is preferably minimised. This further allows the highest temperature gradient inside the crystallisation vessel to be maintained and permits the use of the lowest possible number of crystallisation vessels in series. The last of the crystallisers in series (the third crystalliser shown in FIG. 7) is connected to either a continuously operated separator or to an intermediate storage vessel feeding a discontinuously operated separator like a membrane filter press (not shown in FIG. 7).

The cooling medium (e.g. water) is preferably used in counter-current to the stream of material being crystallised, e.g. (with reference to FIG. 7) with water leaving the third crystalliser feeding the second crystalliser, and so on. To ensure proper temperature control of each crystalliser, the cooling medium (e.g. water) circuit of each crystalliser is preferably provided with independent temperature control means, e.g. by injecting cold water into the cooling water stream.

EXAMPLE 1

Refined, bleached and deodorised (hereinafter referred as RBD) palm oil with an iodine value (hereinafter referred as IV) of 52.7 was used for feeding a crystalliser of the type shown in FIG. 1. The rectangular crystallisation vessel is 80 cm high, 45 cm wide and 100 cm long. Inside this vessel, an agitator suitable for horizontal motion was fitted as shown in FIG. 1. The agitator comprises two sets of 5 U-shaped tubes each assembled together. These tubes (diameter 33 mm) extend almost down to the bottom of the crystallisation vessel. Accordingly, the cooling surface is about 2 m ² and the cooling surface to volume ratio is about 5.6 m ² /m ³ .

The crystallisation vessel was filled with molten RBD palm oil that was then heated to 70 ⁰ C over a period of 30 minutes and held at that temperature for 15 minutes to erase any crystal memory. Cooling parameters used during each step of the RBD palm oil crystallisation process are reported in table 1 below.

TABLE 1

During this crystallisation experiment, cooling water temperature and palm oil temperature were measured regularly. Samples were taken at the top of the crystallisation vessel, at an intermediate height about one third from the bottom thereof, and at the bottom of the crystallisation vessel. The Solid Fat Content (hereinafter referred as SFC and expressed as a weight percentage) of some samples was determined by pulse-NMR (using a Bruker Minispec MQ20 spectrometer) and is reported in tables 2 and 3 below. Olein was isolated from some samples by vacuum filtration (using a Buchner funnel) to permit its iodine value to be determined.

Crystal formation was first observed during step 2 when the SFC-value of the slurry increased to 1.1 %. Table 2 shows SFC-values measured shortly before the end of each step. Table 2 below shows the evolution of product properties and temperature characteristics after each crystallisation step.

TABLE 2

Table 2 shows that:

- the evolution of oil temperature follows that of cooling water temperature, but always at a certain distance in time;

- more and more crystals were formed when temperature was lowered, and

- the crystalliser for use in the process according to the invention was able to handle a crystal slurry with an SFC of about 31 % by weight.

Table 3 below shows SFC values of slurry samples and IV values of olein samples taken at different levels of the crystallisation vessel after two different

steps of the crystallisation process.

TABLE 3

Table 3 shows that: - the agitator assembly does not prevent crystals from settling, since at 388 minutes (during step 5) the SFC of the slurry increased from the top of the vessel to the bottom of the vessel. This is also reflected in the iodine values of the slurry which decreased slightly;

- when the temperature was lowered and more crystals were formed, the SFC-difference between the top and the bottom of the vessel decreased and at 734 minutes (during step 7) it had almost disappeared, and the crystal slurry had become so thick that it hardly settled on standing;

- the IV of the olein does not change significantly from top to bottom of the vessel; and - a palm olein with an IV of about 63 can be produced from RBD palm oil in a single fractionation step.

EXAMPLE 2

A commercial palm olein with an IV of 57.7 was used as raw material. If this olein is used as such, the crystal slurry produced by cooling the olein is already quite viscous when its SFC is still only 16 % by weight. Filtering this viscous slurry by using a membrane filter press yields a filter cake with an SFC of only 38 % by weight at a cake thickness of 50 mm. The SFC of the cake can be increased to 45 % by weight when the cake thickness is reduced

to 25 mm but in both cases the IV of the olein was only 61.5.

A much higher olein IV can be obtained by improving crystallisation by adding 8 % by weight of palm oil to the palm olein before this is heated to 6O ⁰ C and then cooled in the crystalliser according to the invention and as used in Example 1. The resulting slurry had an SFC of 24.3 % by weight after having been cooled down to 14°C over a period of 13 hours and yielded 60 % by weight of an olein with an IV of 65.4. The corresponding stearin fraction had an IV of 46.6.

EXAMPLE 3

In this example, a particular embodiment of the process according to the invention and comprising the continuous operation of a crystalliser will be illustrated. 1 ,000 kg of palm oil with an IV of 52.2 was stored in a storage vessel where the oil temperature was maintained at 70°C by means of an electrical heating element. The oil was pumped at a rate of 60 kg/h, via a heat exchanger that lowered its temperature to 45°C, into a crystalliser vessel as shown in FIG. 1. A level controller actuating the crystallising vessel outlet valve ensured a constant crystalliser content.

When a cooling water temperature of 30 ⁰ C was maintained, a steady state arose with an oil temperature of 32°C at the top and 30 ⁰ C at the bottom of the crystallisation vessel. The outlet stream had an SFC of 5% by weight and could easily be filtered to yield a cake with an SFC of 48% by weight by vacuum filtration, or a cake with an SFC of 60% by weight by pressure filtration. The IV-values of three different olein samples were 55.9, 55,5 and 55.8 and the IV values of the corresponding three stearin samples were 27.4, 28.4 and 28.1. This indicates that the process was quite stable.

When the cooling water temperature was lowered to 27°C, the temperature profile of the crystallisation vessel changed in that at the top it was lowered to 30.5°C and to 27°C at the bottom. The SFC of the slurry increased to 8.5 % by weight, the IV of olein increased to 57.0 and the IV of stearin samples increased to about 31.5.

This example demonstrates that palm oil crystallisation leading to easily filterable crystals is possible even when there is a temperature difference

between the top and the bottom of the crystallisation vessel corresponding to a temperature gradient of 2-3°C/m. Accordingly, the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of an industrial crystalliser with a height of about 3 m can easily reach at least 8°C. This means that in most cases only three such crystallisers in series are required to cover the entire cooling range from the oil cloud point to the filtration temperature of the crystal slurry.