C-Massecuite thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient sensitivity

After C-massecuite is cooled to promote crystallization in the final stage of sugar manufacture, it has a high viscosity which must be reduced. A principal means of reducing the viscosity of massecuite is by heating using finned tube heat exchangers. Thermal conductivity is a crucial design parameter for finned tube heat exchangers. The thermal conductivity of C-massecuite samples from six sugar mills in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa was evaluated experimentally using the principles of heat conduction. The average experimental thermal conductivity of the six samples was 0.218 W/(m · K) which differed by 45-100% from those values historically used (Honig 1953). This difference would result in a 30-60% error in the heat transfer coefficient used to design heat exchangers causing them to be undersized. A 13% error in the experimental method was found by using pure naphthalene as a standard.