Oil refining equipment is used to remove gums, free fatty acids, pigments, odours, waxes, moisture and other unwanted substances from crude vegetable oil. The refining process improves the oil’s appearance, flavour, storage stability and suitability for cooking, frying, bottling or further food processing. Common refining stages include degumming, neutralization or deacidification, bleaching and deodorization, while some oils also require dewaxing or fractionation.

Our edible oil refining equipment can be configured for soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, cottonseed oil, rice bran oil, corn germ oil, sesame oil and other vegetable oils.

Different systems are available for small oil mills, medium-sized edible oil factories and large continuous oil-processing plants. The refining process, equipment configuration and automation level can be customized according to crude oil quality, daily capacity and final product requirements.

Complete Vegetable Oil Refinery Equipment

A complete vegetable oil refinery plant normally contains several processing sections. Each section removes a different type of impurity from the crude oil.

Typical oil refinery equipment includes:

• Crude oil storage tanks

• Degumming tanks

• Neutralization tanks

• Oil washing equipment

• Centrifugal separators

• Vacuum drying systems

• Bleaching tanks

• Leaf filters or plate filters

• Deodorization towers

• Vacuum systems

• Heat exchangers

• Steam generators

• Dewaxing or winterization equipment

• Oil transfer pumps

• Refined oil storage tanks

• Electrical control cabinets

• PLC automation systems

The final configuration depends on whether the plant uses chemical refining, physical refining or a combination of both processes.

Main Oil Refining Processes

Degumming Equipment

Degumming is used to remove phospholipids, gums, trace metals and other impurities from crude vegetable oil. Water, acid or another conditioning agent is mixed with the oil so that the gums can be hydrated and separated.

Removing gums before later refining stages helps reduce deposits, oil losses and undesirable colour changes during high-temperature processing.

A degumming system may include:

• Oil heating tank

• Acid or water dosing system

• High-shear mixer

• Hydration or reaction tank

• Centrifugal separator

• Vacuum dryer

• Oil transfer pump

The appropriate degumming process depends on the phospholipid content and type of crude oil.

Neutralization and Deacidification Equipment

Neutralization is used in chemical refining to reduce free fatty acids. A controlled quantity of alkali is mixed with the crude oil, converting free fatty acids into soapstock that can be separated from the oil.

This stage can also remove some residual phospholipids, pigments and trace impurities.

Typical equipment includes:

• Alkali preparation tank

• Alkali dosing system

• Oil-alkali mixer

• Neutralization reactor

• Centrifugal separator

• Hot-water washing tank

• Vacuum drying equipment

Accurate dosing is important because excessive alkali can increase neutral oil losses, while insufficient alkali may leave excessive free fatty acids in the oil.

Oil Washing and Vacuum Drying

After chemical neutralization, the oil may contain residual soap and moisture. Hot-water washing helps remove soap residues, while vacuum drying reduces the moisture content before bleaching.

The washing system may include mixing tanks, hot-water dosing devices, centrifugal separators and vacuum dryers.

Bleaching Equipment

Bleaching is an adsorption process used to reduce pigments, oxidation products, trace soap, residual phospholipids and certain contaminants that are not sufficiently removed during degumming and neutralization. Activated bleaching earth, silica or activated carbon may be used depending on the crude oil and quality target.

A bleaching section normally includes:

• Vacuum bleaching tank

• Bleaching earth dosing device

• Powder conveying system

• Agitator

• Heating system

• Leaf filter or pressure filter

• Vacuum pump

• Spent bleaching earth collection system

The amount of bleaching earth should be controlled according to oil colour, contaminant level and required finished-oil quality. Excessive adsorbent use can increase oil loss and operating costs.

Deodorization Equipment

Deodorization removes undesirable odours, flavours and volatile compounds through steam stripping under vacuum. In physical refining, free fatty acids can also be removed during high-vacuum steam distillation.

A deodorization system may include:

• Deodorization tower

• Oil heating system

• Heat exchangers

• Steam distribution system

• High-vacuum system

• Fatty acid collection system

• Oil cooling system

• Final polishing filter

Temperature, vacuum level, steam consumption and residence time must be properly controlled to achieve stable oil quality while limiting unnecessary thermal exposure.

Dewaxing and Winterization Equipment

Some vegetable oils contain waxes that can cause cloudiness or sediment at lower temperatures. Dewaxing or winterization gradually cools the oil so that wax crystals form and can be filtered out.

This process is commonly considered for oils such as:

• Sunflower oil

• Corn germ oil

• Rice bran oil

• Cottonseed oil

• Certain specialty seed oils

Typical equipment includes crystallization tanks, cooling systems, insulation systems and filtration equipment.

Palm Oil Fractionation Equipment

Palm oil fractionation separates palm oil into liquid and solid fractions through controlled cooling, crystallization and filtration.

The main products may include:

• Palm olein

• Palm stearin

• Different melting-point fractions

Fractionation equipment normally includes crystallizers, cooling systems, membrane filters or filter presses, oil tanks and automatic temperature controls.

Chemical Refining vs Physical Refining

Two main refining methods can be used depending on the crude oil quality and production requirements.

Physical refining combines deacidification and deodorization through steam distillation under high vacuum, but it requires effective degumming and bleaching before the oil enters the deodorizer.

The refining method should be selected after analysing the crude oil’s free fatty acid content, phosphorus level, colour, moisture, oxidation condition and trace-metal content.

Types of Edible Oil Refinery Plants

Batch Oil Refining Equipment

A batch oil refinery processes a fixed quantity of oil in separate tanks. Each refining stage is completed before the oil is transferred to the next section.

Batch systems are often selected for:

• Small edible oil factories

• Start-up oil businesses

• Plants processing multiple oil varieties

• Production with frequent product changeovers

• Projects with limited initial investment

Advantages include a relatively simple structure, flexible operation and easier adjustment for different crude oils.

However, batch operation normally requires more operator involvement and may produce greater cycle-to-cycle variation than a well-controlled continuous system.

Semi-Continuous Oil Refinery Plant

A semi-continuous plant combines batch and continuous processing stages. Degumming, neutralization and bleaching may operate in batches, while deodorization runs continuously or semi-continuously.

This configuration is suitable for medium-capacity projects that require better deodorization efficiency without investing in a fully continuous production line.

Continuous Oil Refining Equipment

A continuous oil refinery plant transfers oil through each processing stage without dividing production into separate batches.

Continuous systems are generally selected for:

• Large edible oil factories

• High daily processing capacity

• Standardized raw materials

• Stable year-round production

• Automated process control

• Lower dependence on manual operation

A continuous line may provide more stable product quality, better heat recovery and more consistent throughput, but it requires more detailed engineering and a higher initial investment.

Suitable Crude Vegetable Oils

Our cooking oil refining machines can be configured for different pressed or solvent-extracted crude oils.

The same refining configuration should not automatically be used for every oil. The process must be adjusted according to the composition and quality of the crude oil.

Main Features of Our Oil Refining Equipment

Food-Grade Contact Materials

Oil-contact tanks, pipelines and key components can be manufactured from stainless steel to support hygienic operation and easier cleaning.

Controlled Heating and Cooling

Heat exchangers, steam coils and cooling systems help maintain the required temperatures during degumming, neutralization, bleaching, deodorization and crystallization.

Vacuum Operation

Vacuum systems are used during drying, bleaching and deodorization to reduce moisture, support volatile-component removal and limit contact with oxygen at elevated temperatures.

Accurate Dosing

Acid, alkali, water, bleaching earth and other processing aids can be added through controlled dosing systems. Accurate addition helps reduce chemical consumption and avoid unnecessary oil loss.

Heat Recovery

Continuous and large-capacity plants can use heat exchangers to transfer heat from outgoing refined oil to incoming oil, reducing steam and cooling requirements.

Automatic Process Control

PLC and HMI systems can control:

• Temperature

• Vacuum

• Tank levels

• Material flow

• Chemical dosing

• Agitation time

• Steam supply

• Pump operation

• Valve switching

• Alarm conditions

Automation helps improve repeatability and allows operators to monitor the complete oil refining line from a centralized control panel.

Flexible Plant Configuration

The production line can be designed according to the customer’s existing oil press plant, solvent extraction plant, storage system and filling line.