Replaced diffuser chain enables higher extraction rate at sugar mill

SALCHAIN recently manufactured and supplied a 1.2 km 250mm pitch replacement diffuser chain to RCL FOODS’s – Komati Sugar Mill in Mpumalanga.

The chain, which weighs 90 tons and has a breaking strength exceeding 200 tons, is used to convey shredded cane through a diffuser machine which extracts sucrose by circulating hot water over the cane.

This diffuser system has a greater extraction rate than conventional systems.
The chain was manufactured to strict quality control standards to ensure full compliance with internationally recognised chain specifications.

The components were manufactured from high-quality materials, with the inner and outer links forged from EN 19 alloy steel which provides good shock resistance, ductility, greater strength, and reduced wear. The pins and bushes were produced from high-grade stainless steel.

Salchain’s range of diffuser chains have operated efficiently over the past 10 years.
Salchain is the leading South African manufacturer of conveyor and elevator chains for industrial applications and has supplied these throughout the world for over 40 years.
Based in Germiston, Gauteng, the company serves a diverse range of markets including sugar mills, coal mining, cement, timber, pulp and paper to name a few.

RCL FOODS Komati Sugar Mill, the most modern of all South African Sugar Mills has an installed capacity to crush more than 2.5 million tons of cane per year from which at least 320 000 tons of sugar can be produced.