Análise da variabilidade do processo de secagem de açúcar VHP em um secador-resfriador de tambor rotativo

Abstract

In every production process there will always be variability, the excess of which will result in losses. In this sense, it was analyzed in this research the variability of the drying process in a rotary drum cooler with the use of some statistical process control tools in a sugar and alcohol producing plant. Such tools can assist managers in decision making for quality improvement as they can reduce variability causes by minimizing waste. The variables analyzed to evaluate the variability of the dryer were: color and moisture of sugar. The performance of the dryer-chiller in the drying process was also evaluated by the variable output temperature of the dryer, considered the most critical. For this, the following statistical tools were applied: Checklist, Cause and Effect Diagram, Mean Control Chart, Amplitude, Process Capacity Indexes. Through the cause and effect diagram it was possible to identify causes of the factors that affect the performance of the cooler in relation to the final sugar temperature. With the collected data it was possible to perform the control graphs and identify special causes in the process. For the capacity study, it was shown that the plant is not able to meet the process specification limits.