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EVAPORATORS
Introduction
Evaporation is the process of removal of volatile
solvent by vaporization, from an aqueous solution
consisting of non-volatile solute. In majority of the
cases of evaporation, the solvent is water.
Evaporation plays a major role in the manufacture Short tube vertical evaporator
of a variety of products in chemical process
industries, including food processing, pulp & paper, Advantages
pharmaceuticals, fertilisers etc. However, this bulletin
These evaporators can be used even with liquids
will focus only on the evaporator applications in the
that have a tendency to scale, since evaporation
sugar (food processing) industry.
takes place inside the tubes, which are accessible
Of the various types of evaporators available, the for cleaning, fairly high heat transfer coefficients
most commonly used type of evaporator in a sugar are obtained with thin liquors (i.e., dilute solutions of
industry, for the concentration of treated juice, are 1-5 cP) and they are relatively inexpensive, provided
the short tube vertical evaporators. that they are made of carbon steel or cast iron.
Falling film evaporator Multiple effect evaporators : If the vapour from the
first evaporator is taken for heating in a second
Advantages
evaporator, we have a double effect. The heat in
Heat transfer coefficients are high, there is no
the original steam is reused in the second effect.
elevation in boiling point, due to the absence of
The evaporation achieved by a unit mass of steam
hydrostatic pressure, satisfactory operation at low
fed to the first effect is approximately doubled.
temperature driving forces, concentration of heat
Additional effects can be added in the same
sensitive products can be achieved, due to the very
manner.
short contact time of about 30 seconds, temperature
driving force is not limiting and a broader range of Thus, with three vessels, we have a triple effect and
applications is possible and vapour bubble so on like a quadruple, quintuple or a sextuple
obstruction is avoided, as the vapour is entrained effect. There are thus as many evaporator vessels
with the juice filling the interior of the tube. as the effects. The most common evaporators
encountered in practise are the triple, quadruple
Disadvantages
and quintuple effects.
Heat transfer is difficult to predict, there is a
tendency to scale at higher concentrations and
Steam economy
uniform feed distribution is a major problem Evaporator performance is rated on the basis of
steam economy. Steam economy is defined as the
Industrial applications : These evaporators are
kilograms of the solvent evaporated per kilogram
finding increasing use in the sugar industry. In
of steam used.
addition, they are used for concentration of urea,
phosphoric acid in fertiliser industries and black liquor The greatest increase in steam economy is achieved
in paper industries. They are used, especially, for in a multiple effect evaporator, by using the vapour
applications handling foaming or frothing liquors. from one effect as the heating medium for the next
effect, in which boiling takes place at a lower
Evaporator arrangements
temperature and pressure. The steam economy of
Most evaporators are heated by steam condensing a multiple effect evaporator will increase in
on the outer surface of tubes and nearly always the proportion to the number of effects.
The evaporator is the major steam consumer in a savings in the evaporator system (up to 36%
sugar plant. The evaporator concentrates the juice reduction can be achieved).
from a level of 14 – 16° Brix to a level of 60 – 65 °Brix. Another very important aspect, which needs to be
The exhaust steam is used for this purpose as it offers taken care of in an evaporator, is the effective
the leas steam consumption. Steam economies of utilisation of the area available in the evaporator. It
3 to 5 can be achieved, depending on the number is recommended to raise the clear juice
of effects. temperature, very close to the boiling point, at the
pressure prevailing in the first effect. The heating
Several types of evaporators are used in the sugar
can be done by use of exhaust steam in a plate-
industry. The commonly used are the quadruple
type heat exchanger.
and quintuple effect evaporators. Typically, the
steam enters the first effect at a pressure 1.1 kg/ Condensate recovery
cm2 and a temperature of 105oC. The vacuum in The recovery of the condensate from the
the last effect is maintained around 650 mm Hg. evaporator section is very important, for attaining
The installation of a falling film evaporator (FFE) can higher levels of thermal efficiency of the system.
be considered for the first three effects of a multiple Generally, among the Indian sugar plants, the
effect evaporator system. FFE cannot be used for exhaust condensate is directly taken to the boiler
the IV- effect and V- effects, as the possibility of thick house and reused as boiler feed water. On the other
and sticky scale formation is high with thickened hand, the later effect condensate (vapour-
sulphited juice. This type of configuration has condensate) is utilised as hot water for imbibition,
possibilities for extensive vapour bleeding, with only cleaning, centrifuge washing etc.).