Spray Engineering Devices (SED) has completed the delivery and commissioning of modernization and expansion systems at Parag Agro Foods & Allied Products Pvt Ltd’s sugar plant in Ravadewadi, Pune, Maharashtra. The upgrade has increased the plant’s crushing capacity to 7,000 tonnes of cane per day while improving overall energy efficiency.
The project involved the installation of steam-saving process equipment designed to support higher throughput with lower energy consumption. With the expansion now in operation, Parag Agro’s facility is configured to operate with improved thermal performance and reduced steam usage.
Vivek Verma, Managing Director of Spray Engineering Devices Limited, said the project demonstrates how capacity expansion can be combined with energy efficiency through the use of low-temperature evaporation and crystallisation technologies.
Yashwardhan Dahake, Chairman of Parag Agro Foods & Allied Products Pvt. Ltd., said the upgrade has allowed the company to increase output while lowering operating costs and energy consumption. Following commissioning, the plant has achieved a crushing capacity of 7,000 TCD, with steam consumption reduced to 21–22 percent on cane with B-molasses diversion, compared with approximately 32 percent prior to the upgrade.
The modernization includes the installation of falling film evaporators commissioned across two phases. Two evaporators were installed in the first phase, with two additional units added during the second phase. Each evaporator has a heating surface of 5,000 square metres and operates at steam pressures of 170 to 180 kilopascals, improving steam economy and heat transfer efficiency.
The expansion also included the installation of three additional spray continuous pan crystallisation chambers alongside existing units. These chambers operate using low-grade vapours instead of live steam, allowing controlled boiling at temperatures between 85 and 90 degrees Celsius and reducing energy consumption.
As part of the phased upgrade, the project added condensate heaters for raw and sulphited juice streams to improve heat recovery. All new equipment, including evaporators, crystallisation chambers, and heaters, has been integrated with the plant’s distributed control system, enabling automated monitoring and control of process parameters.
Engineering work also included balancing existing and new evaporation systems to ensure stable operation under varying load conditions. The commissioning was completed in time for the crushing season, allowing Parag Agro to operate at the expanded capacity with improved energy performance. Spray Engineering Devices Limited, founded in 1992, supplies energy-efficient process equipment and systems to the sugar, biofuel, water, and related industries across multiple international markets.
