2. Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Mr. Rajeshwar Khajone and Mr. Gitesh Choudhary for
guiding me throughout my training at Agri Search India Pvt. Ltd., Nashik. The
training was completed in June on Manufacturing Processes.
3. Contents
Manufacturing Process of Sulfur granules
Process of obtaining Slurry
Packaging process
Scissor Lift
Tabletop Filling Machine - Piston Filler
Pressure Sensitive Labelers
Reaction Vessel
Plate- Frame Filter Press
Boiler
SAND MILL
Drum Dryer
4. Abstract
The In-plant training report at Agri Search India Pvt. Ltd consists of
Manufacturing Process of their various products used in Agriculture.
The machineries used in plant are also described in this report. The plant
is able to run for 24 hrs and product rate is 240kg/hr. The Packaging and
other important information is shared in this report.
5. INTRODUCTION
Sulfur is necessary for the growth and development of plant life. The majority of all sulfur in the
U.S. is used to make sulfuric acid, and about three quarters of it is used in fertilizers, according
to Chemistry Explained. Plants are dusted with sulfur powder as an insecticide. Agricultural
sulfur is produced in the form of powdered sulfur for use on vine crops. A water soluble powder
is applied by dusting or spraying plants. Dusting sulfur is also a fungicide.
Manufacturing
Sulfur powder is used in industry for the manufacture of numerous products. For example, it is
used to make tires. Sulfur is added during manufacturing to make the rubber hard and to prevent
it from melting during warmer temperatures. Other rubber products include latex gloves, pencil
erasers and automobile bumpers. Sulfur powder is used in the process of manufacturing other
common items such as matches, adhesives, synthetic fibers, paper products, plastics, water
treatment chemicals and storage batteries.
In this report Water Soluble Sulfur used in Agricultural purposes is described with its
Manufacturing and involvement of machines for mass scale production.
6. Manufacturing Process of
Sulfur granules
Slurry is circulated by mixing it with water in order to process it. Let's call this as mixture
A.
Mixture A is feed to atomizer where particles of slurry are spread all over the drying
chamber into small particles. The hot air is passed at atomizer in order to blow away the
moisture present in it.
The atomizer rotates at 12000-14000 rpm and sprays the fine particles in drying chamber.
The moisture is to be blow away from an outlet which is connected to cyclone. The
cyclone circulates away the moisture from top and settles the solid powder at the bottom
which is again pushed back into drying chamber.
The powder collected at R.A.L. is pushed with the help of conveying blower into the
Drying chamber.
Meanwhile in the Drying chamber the small particles of mixture A are collected in solid
form at I.F.B.D.
At the I.F.B.D. hot air is passed to remove the moisture. Let's call this product as mixture
B.
At FBD the moisture is again blown to the cyclone circulates this moisture to ID Blower.
The ID Blower circulates the moisture via venturi tube to wet scrubber.
The moisture is collected in form of water at scrubber tank which keeps on recirculation
of liquid with the help of scrubber pump from water collected at scrubber tank.
The exhaust air is blown away from wet scrubber to exhaust duct which exhausts all
waste gases to atmosphere.
Now, at FBD mixture B after blown with hot air is converted into a solid product form.
The final product is collected from RAL3.
7. The finished product is Sulfur granules of Specified purity which is used for agricultural
purpose to boost yield.
Process of obtaining Slurry
The raw materials : (Raw Sulfur, Borates and a secret ingredient) is mixed in a reaction
vessel with water in proportion of 65:35 (65-solid, 35-water).
The mixture is stirred in a reaction vessel forming a vertex of water. This is achieved by a
scrubber motor present at reaction vessel.(scrubber motor is a 3 phase squirrel cage
induction motor with 300 rpm as set speed)
The mixture after completion of process in reaction vessel is transferred to a holding
vessel with the help of air operated pump.
The mixture is now filled in a sand mill where the fine particles of mixture are obtained.
This mixture is now passed through a metallic filter gauge.
The product obtained is Slurry.
8. Packaging process
The product (Protein/Ca/Zn/Fe, etc. plant nutrients ) are collected in sack bags made from
plastic with a capacity of 100kg. The RAL releases 100kg of product in one hr for protein
& it keeps on varying 100 to 150 kg/hr for different types of product.
The sack bags are carried to packaging unit with the help of trolleys & transported
manually.
In packaging unit sack bags are emptied in a blender and then the churning operation is
carried. This gives the product a better texture & every component present in it gets
mixed well.
The lumps formed during the product formation are dumped in pulverizing machine
which makes fine powder out of lumps.
During the packaging operation care is taken to prevent the product from getting contact
with moisture.
The product is thus transferred to a Hopper. The Hopper is attached to a machine which
consists of screws to churn the product and it is controlled by a PID controller with in-
built logic operation.
The wt. of powder to be dropped by the machine in regular interval of time is taken as the
input for the machine.
For e.g.- Take the input of PID as 250g then the machine is turned on due to clutch
mechanism when 250 g product passes through the churning screw. The machine stops
for a while & then after sometime drops the product again.
Simultaneously an operator fills the pouches of 250g product. Another operator carries
this pouch and cross checks the wt. of pouch with the help of a digital weighing machine.
Meanwhile another operator takes the approved pouch and seals the pouch on a conveyer
type sealing machine.
Now, this sealed pouch is put into printed pouches with necessary details of product and
sealed on the conveyer type sealing machine.
The sealing machine takes time to generate heat required to seal the pack .This takes the
specified temperature as input and makes sure that the temperature is neither exceeded
9. nor it is dropped from the set point within a specified range by the commands directed to
it by a PID controller.
Thus, the sealed product is now filled in cartoon boxes of considerable sizes (according
to the order received by company) the sealed packets are now filled in cartoon boxes in
specified numbers such as 10, 20, 50, etc. The no. varies with the size of packet & size of
cartoon boxes.
Now these boxes are sealed with tape and label. These boxes are unloaded in storage and
then loaded in trucks for sales to dealers to distributers, from distributor to retailer &
from retailer to consumers.
10. Scissor Lift
The lift which we have mentioned in the picture is extendable scissor lift.
Application
Two & Three Wheeler lifting
11. Loading & Unloading from truck
Automobile Showrooms
Electrical and Building roof maintenance & many Industrial application.
Specification
Lifting Capacity : Up to 10 Tons
Power : AC/DC Battery, Engine Drive and Electrical
Operated Type : Towing by Manual / Self Propelled
Features
Custom Built
Multi Utility
Lifting height up to 40 feet
Fixed and Mobile type.
It is used in industry to transfer Raw material from ground floor to first floor at Reaction vessel.
12. Tabletop Filling Machine -
Piston Filler
Piston Filling Machines from Liquid Packaging Solutions use a volumetric filling principle. The
piston draws back, allowing a certain amount of product from the supply system to enter the
nozzle. This same amount of product is then pushed out of the nozzle and into the waiting
container.
Piston fillers are ideal for thick or high viscosity products. The piston filler is the perfect
solution
for pastes or sealants, allowing for an accuracy of fill from 1/2 to 1% by volume.
13. Pressure Sensitive Labelers
Pressure sensitive labelers are popular among packagers across all industries! Pressure
sensitive labels are labels with an adhesive backing normally printed on a backing
paper. These machines are used to peel the label from the backing paper and apply the
label to the bottle using pressure, normally supplied by a brush or belt.
Standard pressure sensitive labelers are manufactured to apply the labels in many
different ways, including automatic wrap labelers that apply the label around a container,
automatic front and back labelers that place a different label on the front and/or back of a
container, and custom automatic labeling machines for unique applications.
14. Reaction Vessel
Function:
Reaction Vessels are used in carrying out a wide variety of chemical reactions
including condensation, polymerization, esterification etherifciation,
hydrolysis, hydration, reduction, oxidation, hydrogenation etc. at pressures
(Up to 30 Kg. / cm²) and at temperatures ranging -20°C to +250°C. Reaction
needing simultaneous fractional distillation and azeotropic distillation can also
15. be conducted very efficiently using these chemical reaction vessels.
Material of Constructions
Various materials of construction, such as MS, SS304, SS 316, SS 316L,
Rubber Lined etc, can be offered as per requirement.
General Description for
Standard Reactor
16. Plate- Frame Filter Press
Filter presses are sometimes called "Plate-and-Frame Filters." This
refers to the style of filter element that was most prominent in the
mid 1800's until the late 1960's.
While this specialized style of the filter press is still manufactured
today, the current manufactured units are more accurately referred
to as "Recessed Chamber Filter Press” and/or “Diaphragm (Membrane) Filter Press".
Definition
The primary usage of a filter press is as a "fixed volume, batch pressure filter." As a fixed volume filter, it
is built to hold a specific quantity of solids. The term "batch" refers to the fact the cycle must be stopped
to discharge the collected “filter cake” prior to restarting a cycle. "Pressure"is created by the feed pump
in the separation process.
The filter press may also be used as a "polishing" filter to remove
minute quantities of solids from an influent stream. In these
applications the press is not sized for the quantity of solids holding
capacity but for maximum filtration area and hydraulic throughput.
When used as a polishing filter, generally a dry filter cake is not
developed. Rather, when throughput flow rates drop to an
unacceptable level, the cycle is ended.
The last most common usage of the filter press is as a "variable
volume" filter through the use of a filter plate known as a diaphragm or membrane plate. This type of
plate has a flexible drain-field which when sealed around the edges forms an integral bladder or
diaphragm that may be inflated to physically press additional liquid from the filter cake. This process can
significantly reduce the typical elapsed time for a press cycle and produce a dryer cake product, or more
17. uniformcake drynessfromcycle tocycle.
How does it work?
The filter press is made up of two principle components:
- Skeleton
- Filter pack
This is true for all filter presses of the regardless of design and includes presses of both the sidebar and
overhead plate suspension types.
Components
The skeleton has one chief function—that is to hold the filter pack together against the pressures
developed internally during the filtration process. The terms used to describe the skeleton may vary
slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer,but the sub-components remain essentially the same:
- Stationary head
- Follower head
- Hydraulics
- Manifold
These components will be tied together either by the use of sidebars
or overhead beams.
The filter pack is where the actualliquid/solid separation process
takes place. The pack consists of a series of filter elements that
form a series of chambers when held together in the press skeleton.
Each chamber wall has a series of raised cylinders or "pips," which are then covered with a porous cloth
medium.
These pips form a flow path for the liquid draining from the press.
At corners of the drain-field, interconnecting holes join the drain-
field to the four corner discharge ports. When the plates are held
together in a plate pack, the corner discharge eyes form individual
manifolds connecting the drain-fields of the plates with the external
18. piping of the press. The center feed (or less frequently a corner feed) slurry inlet port also forms a
manifold that connects with the individual chambers of the plate pack.
Process
In operation, slurry is pumped under pressure into the press chambers through the manifold at the
stationary head of the filter press. As each chamber fills with slurry, the liquid passes through the cloth
medium, across the drain-field, through the drain ports and exits via gravity out of the corner discharge
eyes.
The prime function of the filter media is to provide a porous
support structure for the filter cake as it develops and builds.
Initially, some solids may pass through the cloth media causing a
slight turbidity in the filtrate, but gradually the larger particles
within the slurry begin to bridge the openings in the media reducing
the effective opening size. This allows smaller particles to bridge
these reduced openings initiating the cake filtration process. Once a
layer of solid particles achieves 1 to 2 mm in thickness, this "precoat" layer serves to separate out finer
and finer particles as the cake builds in thickness, yielding a filtrate that is very low in turbidity.
The Principle
The pressure behind the slurry (typically 100 psi, but up to 900 psi [7 to 60 bar]) is provided by a feed
pump—sometimes a positive displacement or centrifugal pump. With a gravity drain on the filtrate side of
the press, a pressure differential between the feed pressure and the gravity discharge is created across the
media and the filter cake solids as they build in thickness. It is the existence of this pressure differential,
not just the feed pump pressure that causes the filtering action to occur. Solids within the slurry will flow
to the area of cake development with the lowest pressure differential, resulting in a filter cake that builds
uniformly over the drain-field on either side of the chamber walls.
This fill cycle continues until the filter cakes forming on the chamber walls bridge at the center,
completely filling the press with solids. It is at this point that the filtration process is complete.
Once this is achieved, the hydraulic closure of the press is retracted, the individual filter elements are
separated and the filter cakes are discharged,usually by gravity, to an appropriate receptacle.
19. Boiler
A pulverized coal-fired boiler is an industrial or utility boiler that generates thermal energy by burning
pulverized coal (also known as powdered coal or coal dust since it is as fine as face powder in cosmetic
makeup) that is blown into the firebox.
The basic idea of a firing system using pulverized fuel is to use the whole volume of the furnace for the
combustion of solid fuels. Coal is ground to the size of a fine grain, mixed with air and burned in the flue
gas flow. Biomass and other materials can also be added to the mixture. Coal contains mineral matter
which is converted to ash during combustion. The ash is removed as bottom ash and fly ash. The bottom
ash is removed at the furnace bottom.
This type of boiler dominates the electric power industry, providing steam to drive large turbines.
Pulverized coal provides the thermal energy which produces about 50% of the world's electric supply.
20. How it works
The concept of burning coal that has been pulverized into a fine powder stems from the belief that if the
coal is made fine enough, it will burn almost as easily and efficiently as a gas. The feeding rate of coal
according to the boiler demand and the amount of air available for drying and transporting the pulverized
coal fuel is controlled by computers. Pieces of coal are crushed between balls or cylindrical rollers that
move between two tracks or "races." The raw coal is then fed into the pulverizer along with air heated to
about 650 degrees F from the boiler. As the coal gets crushed by the rolling action, the hot air dries it and
blows the usable fine coal powder out to be used as fuel. The powdered coal from the pulverizer is
directly blown to a burner in the boiler. The burner mixes the powdered coal in the air suspension with
additional pre-heated combustion air and forces it out of a nozzle similar in action to fuel being atomized
by a fuel injector in modern cars. Under operating conditions, there is enough heat in the combustion zone
to ignite all the incoming fuel.
21. SAND MILL:
A sand mill is a piece of industrial equipment designed to grind a given material into very small particles
of roughly equal size. Sand mills are used for processing a wide variety of products, and can also be used
as mixers and dispersants, creating a uniform mixture of several components during the grinding process.
A number of companies produce sand mills for various applications, including different designs and sizes
to meet the needs of various applications.
In a sand mill, a central bar agitates the sand, causing it to have a grinding action. Many sand mills
produce very small particles on the first pass, with the particles passing through a mesh screen. Others
have recapture systems, allowing people to pass the mixture through the sand mill again to make it finer
and more even. The design works by agitating the sand, rather than creating pressure, ensuring that the
grinding medium does not break apart in the device when it is used properly.
As the name implies, sands can be used as grinding media, but other materials may be used as well. The
choice of medium depends on the material being ground. Some companies maintain several mills
dedicated for specific uses, while others may change media as needed in a single sand mill. Sand mills are
used in cosmetics manufacturing, the production of paints and pigments, and similar activities.
22. Drum Dryer
A drum dryer is a rotating cylinder that uses steam or hot air to heat feedstock and reduce the moisture
content during a manufacturing process. The configuration may include one or more drums.
A drum dryer may use atmospheric pressure or function under a vacuum. Drum dryers have many
applications in the food industry because they are very efficient for drying pastes or gelatinous materials.
In the simplest configuration, a single drum dryer is supported on a frame so it can rotate on its axis.
Steam is forced through the inside. A thin layer of feedstock is then applied to the outside of the drum. As
the temperature rises, the moisture in the feedstock reaches boiling point, begins to evaporate, and leaves
the feedstock. The dried layer of feedstock is removed from the drum with a scraper.
Depending upon the products it will be processing, a drum dryer is typically made from cast iron or
stainless steel. The length of time the feedstock remains on the drum depends on the original moisture
content and the desired ending moisture content. The range is usually between a few seconds and half a
minute. Feedstock may be applied to the drum dryer by rollers, dipping the lower edge of the drum into a
tray of feedstock, or spraying it on to the drum surface.
23. Conclusion
The Firm is very keen in producing high quality granules of products and the
management is very good in marketing. The training enhanced my technical as
well as management skills while training under the General Manager and Chief
Engineer. The defects and accident prone sites were being noticed for the new
plant. It was a great experience working with this firm.
