Universit di Pisa

Facolt di Ingegneria

Evaporators

Unit Operation I

Prof. Cristiano Nicolella

Duhring lines for water solutions of NaCl

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Boiling point rise for aqueous solutions

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Specific heats of aqueous solutions

Perry VIII, Table 2.158-2.175

Sodium hydroxide:

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Enthalpy of aqueous solutions

Heats of solutions: Perry VIII, Table 2.182

Sodium hydroxide:

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Water nucleate boiling coefficient

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Classification

Forced-circulation evaporators
 Boiling in tubes
 Submerged type

Short-tube vertical evaporators

Long-tube evaporators
 Rising film
 Falling film

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Forced-
Forced-circulation evaporators
Boiling in the tubes

Suitable for many uses, may not be the most
economical

Separated function for
 Heat transfer
 Vapor-liquid separation
 Cristallisation

Circulation maintained regardless of evaporation
rate, suitable for:
 viscous solutions
 crystallysing operations (crystals in suspension)

Highest heat transfer coefficients with boiling in
the tubes, but:
 Salt deposits with salting solutions
 excessive nucleation and production of fine salts
because of flash

Tube velocities:
 1 m/s: salt evaporators, >5 % solids
 3 m/s: lower solids concentration

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Forced-
Forced-circulation evaporators
Submerged tubes

Most used type of forced-circulation
evaporator.

Heating element below the liquid level to
prevent boiling in the tubes.

Relatively immune to salting in the
tubes.

Heat imparted as sensible heat:
temperature rise of the circulating liquor
reduces the temperature difference
available for heat transfer.

Head requirements difficult to estimate,
because of friction losses:
 Recirculation line
 Flashing losses
 Vortex losses in the flash chamber

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Forced-
Forced-circulation evaporators

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Short-
Short-tube vertical evaporators

Circulation past the heating surface is induced by
boiling in the tubes.

Tubes: 50-75 mm diameter, 1-2 m length.

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Long-
Long-tube evaporators

Rising-
Rising-film,
film, single pass Recirculation Falling film

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Long-
Long-tube evaporators

Cheapest per unit of capacity.

Few seconds of liquid residence time.

Tubes: 25-50 mm diameter, 6-10 (rising film) 6-20
m (falling film)

High heat transfer coefficients

Recirculation desirable for
 low feed to evaporation ratio or
 feed to heating surface ratio

Rising film: tempeature not uniform because of
hydrostatic head (reduced temperature difference,
which may offset high heat transfer coefficients)

Falling film: no problems of hydrostatic head, rather
uniform temperature, but critical feed distribution
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Long-
Long-tube evaporators

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Steam-
Steam-jet ejector

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 Two-
Two-stage ejector

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Barometric condensers

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