Wet Corn Processing Expansion

CLIENT
Minnesota Corn Processors, Inc.

lbberson was the on-site engineer and construction manager for the expansion of this wet corn processing facility.

Engineering services included conceptualization, estimation, process and mechanical design, structural design, procurement, and on-site engineering supervision. The results of the two-year effort doubled the capacity of corn production from 90,000 bushels per day to 180,000 bushels per day.

The first addition included a corn syrup addition to produce three different corn syrups and the following processes: acid conversion, carbon column filtration, clarification, evaporation via multi-effect evaporation and loadout. The high fructose corn syrup and the corn syrup refineries together process approximately 161,000 lbs. of corn starch per hour.

The purpose of the second process was added to transform a gluten/water slurry into a moist gluten cake. This was accomplished by using six rotary drum filters connected to a central vacuum system. A vacuum was created by using several liquid ring vacuum pumps. The resulting gluten cake was then transferred to the ring dryer.

The third part of the expansion to the existing facility includes a fructose addition.  The addition includes all the processes of a typical fructose plant including Iiquefication, an ion exchange system, evaporation and loadout.

The gluten ring dryer consists of a 122’ tall stainless steel drying ring using a 120,000 CFM blower and a 50,000,000 btu/h gas-fired heater to dry the 20,000 lbs. /hr. of corn gluten. This is the largest ring dryer ever constructed for corn gluten.

This highly automated facility is controlled through a plant-wide distribution control system (DCS) furnished by Honeywell.