Contents

Summary.................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction................................................................................................................ 4
What is evaporator.................................................................................................. 4
History..................................................................................................................... 5
How does evaporator work...................................................................................... 5
Types of evaporator.................................................................................................... 6
Centrifugal evaporator............................................................................................ 6
Manfactures:........................................................................................................ 7
Rotary evaporator................................................................................................... 7
Baground.............................................................................................................. 8
Design.................................................................................................................. 8
Flooded evaporators................................................................................................ 9
Direct Expansion Coil Evaporator..........................................................................10
Types of evaporator used today............................................................................... 12
Circulation evaporators......................................................................................... 12
Natural Circulation evaporators.............................................................................13
Forced Circulation Evaporator...............................................................................13
Batch pan Evaporators.............................................................................................. 14
Rising film Evaporator........................................................................................... 15
Falling Film Evaporator.......................................................................................... 16
Rising/Falling Evaporator....................................................................................... 17
Multiple-effect evaporators................................................................................... 18
Agitated thin film evaporators...............................................................................18
Conclusion:............................................................................................................... 19

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1: Schematic diagram of evaporator................................................................4

2: an example of evaporation process.............................................................5
3: Typical refrigeration Cycle............................................................................6
4: Cutaway image of HT-4X Centrifugal Evaporator.........................................7
5: A Bchi Rotavapor R-200 with "V" assembly (vertical water condenser).....8
6: flooded evaporator.................................................................................... 10
7: Direct expansion coil evaporator...............................................................11
8: direct expansion evaporator......................................................................12
9: Vertical tube forced-circulation evaporator................................................13
10: Natural Circulation evaporators...............................................................13
11: Forced Circulation Evaporator..................................................................14
12: Batch pan Evaporators............................................................................ 15
13: Rising film evaporator..............................................................................16
14: Falling-Film Evaporators...........................................................................17
15:Rising/Falling Evaporator..........................................................................17
16: Double-effect falling film evaporator.......................................................18
17: Key element of vertical-thin evaporator..................................................19

Summary
As one of the most energy intensive processes used in the dairy, food and chemical
industries, it is essential that evaporation be approached from the viewpoint of
economical energy utilization as well as process effectiveness. This can be done
only
if the equipment manufacturer is able to offer a full selection of evaporation
technology
and systems developed to accommodate various product characteristics, the
percent
of concentration required, and regional energy costs.
This handbook describes the many types of evaporators and operating options
available through the experience and manufacturing capabilities of APV.

Introduction
What is evaporator
An evaporator is a device used to turn the liquid form of a chemical into its gaseous form. The liquid
is evaporated, or vaporized, into a gas.

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of evaporator

Evaporation is a special case of heat transfer to a boiling liquid. This particular heat
transfer application is so common and important that it is treated as a separate unit
operation.
The intent is to concentrate a non-volatile solute from a solvent, usually water. This is
done by boiling off the solvent. Concentration by evaporation is normally stopped
before the solute begins to precipitate; if not, the operation is better considered
as crystallization.
Evaporation is usually treated as the separation of a liquid mixture into a liquid
product (concentrate or thick liquor) and a vapor byproduct, although in special cases
such as water treating and desalination, the vapor is the product instead of the thick
liquor.
The evaporator is kind of heat transfer apparatuses where the heat transfer is done by
forced convection or natural convection. And its an important component of

refrigeration system and air conditioning system.

Evaporation process is rejection of water (or other liquids) by concentrating the
solution. The required time for this process can by shortened by increasing the surface
area, the solution is exposed to it, or by exposing the solution to heating to a higher
temperature.

Figure 2: an example of evaporation process

History
The invention of the multiple effect evaporator is generally credited
to Norbert Rillieux. Rillieux developed a multiple pan evaporation
system for use in sugar refining. Rillieux was born in Louisiana and
trained in France. Most of his working career was spent in the U.S.,
although he later returned to Europe where he is buried in the
famous Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Rillieux's achievements
were little acknowledged during his lifetime, because according to
the laws of the time he was "a free person of color." He was also the
first cousin, once removed, of the painter Edgar Degas.
How does evaporator work
For a basic refrigerant cycle shown in figure 1, which is used in many forms in all
common air conditioning, refrigeration, heat pump applications. It uses a proper
refrigerant that has the capability to change phase from liquid to gas and from gas to

liquid.
For a home air conditioning example, the refrigerant enters the compressor is a low
pressure cool gas, where it compressed to a high pressure hot gas, then passes to the
condenser. In the condenser coil, the refrigerant phase changes from hot gas at high
pressure to hot liquid at high pressure. This condensation causes a large heat rejection
to surrounding.
The liquid refrigerant is then passed through a fixed nozzle or expansion device to exit
as a cold liquid at a low pressure. Finally refrigerant enters the evaporator at about
70% to 80% liquid and 20% to 30% vapor.
In the evaporator a very large amount of heat is absorbed from surrounding (the indoor
air) causing the liquid refrigerant to boil and turn into a gas phase, which is passed to
compressor to repeat the cycle again untile the indoor air be comfortable and
sufficiently cool.
The evaporator works at a constant temperature as long as the pressure remains
constant.

Figure 3: Typical refrigeration Cycle

Types of evaporator
The evaporators may be classified into a forced convection type or natural convection
type, depending on whether the substance to be cooled lows naturally by difference in
density through the heat transfer surfaces of the evaporator or forced by pump or fan.

In some kinds of evaporator, the refrigerant flows in the tubes and substance to be
cooled surrounding it. But in other cases, substance to be cooled in the tubes and the
refrigerant is in the shell.
Evaporator are also classified into flooded type and dry expansion type, depending on
whether the refrigerant covers all the surface of heat transfer or some portion of heat
transfer surface is having gas being superheated.

Centrifugal evaporator
A centrifugal evaporator is a device used in chemical and biochemical laboratories for the efficient
and gentle evaporation of solvents from many samples at the same time, and samples contained in
microtitre plates. If only one sample required evaporation then a rotary evaporator is most often
used. The most advanced modern centrifugal evaporators not only concentrate many samples at the
same time, they eliminate solvent bumping and can handle solvents with boiling points of up to 220
C. This is more than adequate for the modern high throughput laboratory.

Figure 4: Cutaway image of HT-4X Centrifugal Evaporator

Manfactures:
Centrifugal evaporators were invented in 1960s by Savant Inc of USA, with their market leading
SpeedVac brand. Other well known manufacturers of centrifugal evaporators are the German
company Martin Christ, Labconco Corp. of USA and Genevac of UK.

Rotary evaporator
A rotary evaporator (or rotavap[1]/rotovap) is a device used in chemical laboratories for the efficient
and gentle removal of solventsfrom samples by evaporation. When referenced in the chemistry
research literature, description of the use of this technique and equipment may include the phrase
"rotary evaporator", though use is often rather signaled by other language (e.g., "the sample was
evaporated under reduced pressure").

Figure 5: A Bchi Rotavapor R-200 with "V" assembly (vertical water condenser).

Baground
A simple rotary evaporator system was invented by Lyman C. Craig. [2] It was first commercialized by
the Swiss company Bchi in 1957. Other common evaporator brands are Heidolph, LabTech, Stuart,
Hydrion Scientific, SENCO, IKA and EYELA. In research the most common form is the 1L bench-top
unit, whereas large scale (e.g., 20L-50L) versions are used in pilot plants in commercial chemical
operations.
Design
The main components of a rotary evaporator are:
1. A motor unit that rotates the evaporation flask or vial containing the user's sample.
2. A vapor duct that is the axis for sample rotation, and is a vacuum-tight conduit for the vapor
being drawn off the sample.
3. A vacuum system, to substantially reduce the pressure within the evaporator system.
4. A heated fluid bath (generally water) to heat the sample.

5. A condenser with either a coil passing coolant, or a "cold finger" into which coolant mixtures
such as dry ice and acetone are placed.
6. A condensate-collecting flask at the bottom of the condenser, to catch the distilling solvent
after it re-condenses.
7. A mechanical or motorized mechanism to quickly lift the evaporation flask from the heating
bath.
The vacuum system used with rotary evaporators can be as simple as a water aspirator with a trap
immersed in a cold bath (for non-toxic solvents), or as complex as a regulated mechanical vacuum
pump with refrigerated trap. Glassware used in the vapor stream and condenser can be simple or
complex, depending upon the goals of the evaporation, and any propensities the dissolved
compounds might give to the mixture (e.g., to foam or "bump"). Commercial instruments are
available that include the basic features, and various traps are manufactured to insert between the
evaporation flask and the vapor duct. Modern equipment often adds features such as digital control
of vacuum, digital display of temperature and rotational speed, and vapor temperature sensing.

Flooded evaporators
A flooded evaporator type with float control valve shown in fig. the liquid flow on low
passages passes the tubes upwords, and boils due to heat adsorption from the warmer
substance, which is cooled. The resulted vapor so formed on boiling bubbles up in flash
chamber, where separates liquid from vapor.
Separated vapor passes to compressor, and liquid flows back to the evaporator. The
flash chamber collects the vapor formed by liquid refrigerant boiling in the evaporator,
and vapor obtained in the expansion device.
In a flooded type evaporator refrigerant liquid level is maintained. Float valve is used as
throttling device.
The heat transfer efficiency increases because the entire surface is in contact with the
liquid refrigerant. But the refrigerant charge is relatively large as compared to dry
expansion type.
The accumulator or flash chamber is used to prevent liquid Cray over to compressor.
The evaporator coil is contacted to accumulator and the liquid flow from the
accumulator to the evaporator coil is generally by gravity. The vapor formed by the
vaporizing of the liquid in the coil being lighter rises up and passes on to the top of the
accumulator from where it enters the suction line.

In some cases liquid eliminators are provided in the accumulator top to prevent the
possible carry over of liquid to suction line. Also a liquid suction heat exchanger is used
on the suction line to superheat the suction vapor.

Figure 6: flooded evaporator

Direct Expansion Coil Evaporator

the evaporator is called direct expansion evaporator if the coils of the evaporator with
refrigerant passing through them are used directly to cool air by natural or forced
convection.
To improve the lubricating oil return to the compressor, the refrigerant feed comes
through the thermostatic expansion valve more often located at the top particularly for
F12, F22. Air is blown over the outside of the finned tubes.
The direct expansion coil is preferred For air conditioning purposes, where the
evaporator is very near to the compressors. This is direct method of cooling the
substance and, therefore quite eficient. it is preferred to chill the water and pump it to
the air-cooling coil, when the coil has to be located very far away from the compressor.
There is possibility of refrigerant leakage for long distances, and the cost of the
refrigerant would be high. Also the pressure drop in the line would decrease evaporator
coefficient of performance and efficiency.
The expansion valve controls the rate of the refrigerant to evaporator in such a way that
all the liquid is vaporized and the vapor is also superheated to a limited extent. The
inside of evaporator is far from dry but wetted with liquid.

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All the same, this type is called dry expansion to distinguish it from flooded system and
also probably because by the time the refrigerant reaches the evaporator outlet it from
flooded system and also probably because by the refrigerant reaches the evaporator
outlet it is no more wet but dry superheated vapor.

Figure 7: Direct expansion coil evaporator

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Figure 8: direct expansion evaporator

Types of evaporator used today

Circulation evaporators
Circulation evaporators are a type of evaporating unit designed to separate mixtures unable to be
evaporated by a conventional evaporating unit. Circulation evaporation incorporates the use of
both heat exchangers and flash separation units in conjunction with circulation of the solvent in order
to remove liquid mixtures without conventionalboiling. There are two types of Circulation
Evaporation; Natural Circulation Evaporators and Forced Circulation Evaporators, both of which are
still currently used in industry today, although forced Circulation systems, which have a circulation
pump as opposed to natural systems with no driving force, have a much wider range of appropriate
uses.

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Figure 9: Vertical tube forced-circulation evaporator.

Natural Circulation evaporators

In Natural Circulation evaporators, short vertical tubes, typically 1-2 m long and 50- 100 mm in
diameter, are arranged inside the tubes, and the product is concentrated. The concentrated liquid
falls back to the base of the vessel through a central annular section. A shell-and-tube heat
exchanger can be provided outside the main evaporation vessel to preheat the liquid feed. The most
common application for this type of unit is as a reboiler at the base of a distillation column.Natural
Circulation evaporators

Figure 10: Natural Circulation evaporators

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Forced Circulation Evaporator

Forced Circulation Evaporator The forced circulation evaporator was developed for processing
liquors which are susceptible to scaling or crystallizing. Liquid is circulated at a high rate through the
heat exchanger, boiling being prevented within the unit by virtue of a hydrostatic head maintained
above the top tube plate. As the liquid enters the separator where the absolute pressure is slightly
less than in the tube bundle, the liquid flashes to form a vapor.

Figure 11: Forced Circulation Evaporator

Batch pan Evaporators

Batch pan Evaporators The batch pan evaporator is one of the simplest and oldest types of
evaporators used in food industry. Now-a-days it is outdated technology, but it still used in a few
limited applications, such as the concentration of jams and jellies where whole fruit is present and in
processing some pharmaceutical products. Up until the early 1960's, batch pan also enjoyed wide
use in the concentration of corn syrups. In batch pan evaporator the product is heated in a steam
jacketed spherical vessel. The heating vessel may be open to the atmosphere or connected to the
condenser and vacuum. The heat transfer area per unit volume is in batch pan evaporator is small.
Thus, the residence time normally is many hours. Therefore, it is essential to boil at low
temperatures and high vacuum when a heat sensitive or thermo degradable product is involved.

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Figure 12: Batch pan Evaporators

Rising film Evaporator

Rising-film Evaporators These are considered to be the first 'modern' evaporator used in the industry,
the rising film unit dates back to the early 1900's. The rising film principle was developed
commercially by using a vertical tube heated from the outside with steam. Liquid on the inside of the
tube is brought to a boil, with the vapor generated forming a core in the center of the tube. As the
fluid moves up the tube, more vapors are formed resulting in a higher central core velocity those
forces the remaining liquid to the tube wall.

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Figure 13: Rising film evaporator

Falling Film Evaporator

Falling-Film Evaporators The falling-film evaporators has a thin liquid film moving downward under
gravity on the inside of the vertical tubes. The design of such evaporators is complicated by the fact
that distribution of liquid in a uniform film flowing downward in a tube is more difficult to obtain than
an upward-flow system such as in a rising- film evaporator. This is accomplished by the use of
specially designed distribution or spray nozzles. The falling-film evaporators allow a greater number
of effects then the rising-film evaporator. The falling-film evaporator can handle more viscous liquids
than the rising film type. This type of evaporators is best suited for highly heat sensitive products
such as orange juice

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Figure 14: Falling-Film Evaporators

Rising/Falling Evaporator
Rising/Falling Evaporator In the rising/falling evaporator, the product is concentrated by circulation
through a rising-film section followed by a falling-film section of the evaporator. The product is first
concentrated as it ascends through a rising tube section, followed by pre concentrated product
descending through a falling-film section, there it attains its final concentration.

Figure 15:Rising/Falling Evaporator

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Multiple-effect evaporators
Unlike single-stage evaporators, these evaporators can be composed of up to seven
evaporator stages (effects). The energy consumption for single-effect evaporators is
very high and is most of the cost for an evaporation system. Putting together
evaporators saves heat and thus requires less energy. Adding one evaporator to the
original decreases energy consumption to 50%. Adding another effect reduces it to
33% and so on. A heat-saving-percent equation can be used to estimate how much
one will save by adding a certain amount of effects.
The number of effects in a multiple-effect evaporator is usually restricted to seven because after that,
the equipment cost approaches the cost savings of the energy-requirement drop.

Figure 16: Double-effect falling film evaporator

Condensing vapors from flash tank B1 heat evaporator A2. 1=feed, 2=product, 3=steam, 4=vapors

Agitated thin film evaporators

Agitated thin-film evaporation has been very successful with difficult-to-handle products. Simply
stated, the method quickly separates the volatile from the less volatile components using indirect
heat transfer and mechanical agitation of the flowing product film under controlled conditions. The
separation is normally made under vacuum conditions to maximize T while maintaining the most
favorable product temperature, and to maximize volatile stripping and recovery.
Agitated thin-film evaporators are attractive for the concentration, distillation, stripping or deodorization of
liquids in a broad variety of chemical-process-industries (CPI) applications where the process streams are
temperature sensitive (and must have only brief exposure to heat), viscous, or tend to foul or foam.

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Figure 17: Key element of vertical-thin evaporator

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Conclusion:
While the design criteria for evaporators are the same regardless of the industry
involved, two questions always exist: is this equipment best suited for the duty, and
is the equipment arranged for the most efficient and economical use? As a result,
many types of evaporators and many variations in processing techniques have been
developed to take into account different product characteristics and operating
parameters.
When you are in industry you required a machine which is most efficient and
economical for your need. So thats why there are many different types evaporator
available in market. Each evaporator has its on advantage or disadvantage. Every
evaporator manufactures provide a chart with evaporator basic temperature,
pressures and properties. There are varieties of evaporator from you can choose
which evaporator is most appropriate for your job.

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