Fractionated Coconut Oil (MCT Oil - Medium Chain Triglycerides)

Crystallization Section

Feedstock is heated and pumped to crystallizers. The oil is cooled according to a pre-determined cooling profile by means of controlling the temperature of the cooling medium circulating in the cooling coils. The design of this cooling profile depends on the quality of feedstock and the quality of olein/stearin fractions required. This is to keep the oil homogenized with frequency mechanical agitation in the crystallizers. A typical cooling program lasts for a certain time, depending on the quality of feedstock and product. When the oil appears as a thick semi-solid mass (slurry) containing stearin crystals in liquid olein, it is ready for filtration. If the crystallization result is not desirable, the slurry can be circulated through the feed oil heater for re-heating before being sent back to the feed oil tank for re-process.

Filtration Section 

When crystallization is completed, the slurry is fed to the Membrane Filter Press for filtration. The operation includes filter feed, filtering, squeezing and cake releasing. When the chambers are full after cake forming, the pumping will stop and the membranes are inflated to squeeze dry the filter cakes. After which, the residual oil in the core is blown dry by compressed air. Thereafter, the filter is opened and the cake will drop into a stearin tank. The stearin cake is melted in this tank by steam coils before it is discharged to storage. Olein flows into the olein tank, and is pumped to the outer olein storage tank.

The membrane filter press requires cleaning after several filtration cycles.