American Crystal Sugar Company is a farmer owned cooperative based in Moorhead, MN. It operates 6 factories in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana, which process about 11 million tons of beets annually. Products include granulated sugar, brown sugar,and powdered sugar in consumer, commercial, and bulk packaging. Also produced are pulp pellets, pulp shreds, and molasses.The amount of moisture removed in a pulp press is dependent mostly on rotational speed and clearance between flighting and screens. Cossette sizes of beets (slabs) also influence pressed pulp moisture. In addition, freshly harvested and stored beets havean impact. Throughout campaign, the flight surfaces wear due to abrasion, which is caused by high mud content of harvested and sliced beets. The high mud content in cossettes is an indicator of high raw juice solids. The mud content of beets can vary from location to location. Wear causes the tip of the flighting to become rounded and only encourages slippage between the flighting and screen. Proper clearance between the rotating flight and stationary screens, and maintaining a clean, square edge on the flighting tip in pulp presses are the most important factors. To allow consistent control and maintain efficiency of the press, this clearance must be restored.
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