Established to provide easily digestible corn for cattle feedlots near their Scandia, Kansas, &nbsp;location, Nesika Energy LLC successfully produces 10 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol annually. In 2023, management recognized that money was being left on the table. &nbsp;The distillers dried grains with solubles being fed to the cattle contained almost 13% fat, but cattle only need 8% fat for a healthy diet. &nbsp;The challenge: find a system that takes out just the right amount of corn oil from the grain, so the feed remains nutritious. And, at the same time, add another revenue stream to the plant.Energy Efficiency Drives Equipment Selection&nbsp;&nbsp; “We wanted to identify a system that could remove the corn oil without significantly increasing the electrical load on the plant. After reviewing available equipment, management decided to begin testing with a GEA RSE 90 disk centrifuge in early 2024,” explains Alec Finegan, plant manager at Nesika. “It was felt that a single motor/VFD combination would be a more efficient choice for us versus a decanter that required two motors, two [variable frequency drives] VFDs, more wiring and more piping.”Given the current output of the facility, an RSE 90 (capacity of 35 – 40 gallons per minute), was selected for the test. GEA RSE disk centrifuges are available in capacities from 15 to 200 gallons per minute when processing syrup. Considering power usage and additional maintenance requirements, total cost of ownership (TCO) for a disk centrifuge is half that of a three-phase decanter.Precise Oil Removal Ensures Feed Quality&nbsp;&nbsp; Once the team was ready, testing commenced using a rental skid provided by GEA. “We connected the electrical and did some minor piping modifications to get the RSE 90 working in the plant. Hoses ran from the skid to a tanker in the yard. We could observe it working and, as an added benefit, even generate revenue while we tested,” notes Finegan. “While we were running the skid, we were also analyzing the nutritional content of our distillers grains, making sure the product still contained adequate fat levels for the cattle feed.”The GEA finetuner on the RSE 90 allows precise control of the amount of oil removed from the distillers grains. A combination between a centripetal pump and a paring tube, the finetuner provides substantially improved efficiency compared to a conventional centripetal pump. Adjustment is done via a pneumatic actuator on the control unit. &nbsp;At Nesika, only a small amount of demulsifier is required to reduce emulsification that results when the syrup passes through centrifugal pumps prior to entering the high G-force centrifuge.Successful Testing Leads to Seamless Operation&nbsp;&nbsp; “All in all, the three months of testing we did went well, and we were satisfied with the results,” Finegan says. “We decided to purchase the disk centrifuge. Installation was completed in April 2024 and operation has been flawless.” A truck comes weekly to pick up the recovered oil, adding to Nesika’s revenue stream.RSE 90 maintenance is simple. The machine is cleaned every seven days using a diluted caustic solution. A program switches all the valves, takes the machine off-line and CIP begins.&nbsp;“Testing was key to our purchase decision,” notes Finegan. “We were able to see how elegant and simple the machine was to operate. We would not have moved forward without seeing the positive results for ourselves.”Author: Christopher Zdvorak,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Midwest Sales Engineer, GEA&nbsp;&nbsp; Chris.Zdvorak@gea.com

2025-05-30 - Boosting Corn Oil Production (Ethanol Producer Magazine)

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Nesika Energy increases revenue with efficient corn oil production.

Boosting Corn Oil Production

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