Crystallization apparatus and process for molten fats

1. A crystallization process for edible oil and fats and related derivatives carried out in a crystallizer with stationary heat exchange elements, wherein edible oil and fat contents of said crystallizer are made to move along said elements in an oscillatory manner without the use of an internal agitator.

2. The process according to claim 1 , in which the crystallizer comprises one or more crystallization vessels each of which comprises two or more compartments.

3. The process according to claim 2 , in which each crystallization vessel is independently cooled.

4. The process according to claim 1 , in which the heat exchange elements are only used to cool the crystallizer contents and an external heat exchanger is used to heat the crystallizer contents.

5. The process according to claim 1 , in which said stationary heat exchange elements are evenly spaced within the crystallizer and have a surface within the range from 1 to 20 m 2 per m 3 of crystallizer volume.

6. The process according to claim 1 , in which contents of said crystallizer are made to move along said heat exchange elements by the intermittent application of pressure.

7. The process according to claim 6 , in which the pressure is generated by a ventilator or fan located in a duct connecting the headspaces of the compartments.

8. The process according to claim 6 , in which the intermittent application of pressure is by means of gas injected into and released from the headspaces of the compartments.

9. The process according to claim 8 , in which said gas is nitrogen or carbon dioxide or a mixture of both.

10. The process according to claim 6 , in which the pressure is intermittently generated by means of a reciprocating piston.

11. The process according to claim 6 , in which the pressure is intermittently generated by means of a dosing piston pump.

12. The process according to claim 6 , in which the amplitude of the movements of the crystallizer contents along the stationary heat exchange elements is from 0.01 m to 0.50 m.

13. The process according to claim 6 , in which the frequency of the movements of the crystallizer contents along the stationary heat exchange elements is between 0.1 and 10 Hz.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the crystallization step is operated by batch.

15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the crystallization step is operated continuously.

16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the crystallization step is operated semi-continuously.

17. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the oscillatory movement corresponds to the eigenfrequency of the crystallizer.

18. The process according to claim 1 , in which the material being crystallized is circulated over its crystallization vessel or compartment by a pump.

19. The process according to claim 1 wherein the process is a fractionation process.

20. A dry fractionation process for edible oils and fats, in which a crystal slurry produced according to a crystallization process for edible oil and fats and related derivatives carried out in a crystallizer with stationary heat exchange elements, wherein edible oil and fat contents of said crystallizer are made to move along said elements in an oscillatory manner without the use of an internal agitator is separated into an olein fraction and a stearin fraction.

21. The fractionation process according to claim 20 , in which the separation is carried out by means of a conical sieve centrifuge that is provided with a scroll capable of rotating at a speed differential relative to the screen.

22. A crystallizer for edible oil and fats and related derivatives with stationary heat exchange elements, comprising means to move edible oil and fat contents of said crystallizer in an oscillatory manner along said elements in an oscillatory manner without the use of an internal agitator.

23. The crystallizer according to claim 22 , in which the crystallizer comprises one or more crystallization vessels, each of which comprises two or more compartments.

24. The crystallizer according to claim 23 , in which each crystallization vessel has independent cooling means.

25. The crystallizer according to claim 22 , wherein the heat exchange elements are adapted to only cool the crystallizer contents and an external heat exchanger is provided to heat the crystallizer contents.

26. The crystallizer according to claim 22 , in which said stationary heat exchange elements are evenly spaced within the crystallizer and have a surface within the range from 1 to 20 m 2 per m 3 of crystallizer volume.

27. The crystallizer according to claim 22 , further comprising means for applying intermittent fluid pressure to move the contents of said crystallizer along said heat exchange elements.

28. The crystallizer according to claim 27 , in which the pressure is generated by a ventilator or fan located in a duct connecting the headspaces of the compartments.

29. The crystallizer according to claim 27 , in which the intermittent application of pressure is provided by means for gas injection into and release from headspaces of the compartments.

30. The crystallizer according to claim 29 , in which said gas is nitrogen or carbon dioxide or a mixture of both.

31. The crystallizer according to claim 27 , in which the pressure is intermittently generated by means of a reciprocating piston.

32. The crystallizer according to claim 27 , in which the pressure is intermittently generated by means of a dosing piston pump.

33. The crystallizer according to claim 27 , in which the means for applying intermittent fluid pressure is adapted to provide an amplitude of the oscillatory movements of the crystallizer contents along the stationary heat exchange elements from 0.01 m to 0.50 m.

34. The crystallizer according to claim 27 , in which the means for applying intermittent fluid pressure is adapted to provide the frequency of the movements of the crystallizer contents along the stationary heat exchange elements between 0.1 and 10 Hz.

35. The crystallizer according to claim 34 , wherein the frequency of the oscillatory movement corresponds to the eigenfrequency of the crystallizer.

36. The crystallizer according to claim 22 , in which the material being crystallized is circulated over its crystallization vessel or compartment by a pump.

37. The crystallizer according to claim 22 , further comprising a separator for separating the contents into an olein fraction and a stearin fraction.

38. The crystallizer according to claim 37 , in which the separator is a conical sieve centrifuge that is provided with a scroll capable of rotating at a speed differential relative to the screen.