EVAPORATION

Evaporation is a separation process

which involves removal of vapor,
resulting to a more concentrated
solution.
 Considerations in Evaporation
Processes
1. Concentration in the Liquid
 Usually the feed is dilute and
viscosity is low
 Relatively high U
 As evaporation proceeds, the soln.
may become very concentrated and
high U is obtained
 Considerations in Evaporation
Processes
2. Solubility
 Crystals may
form when the
solubility limit of
the solute in the
solution is
exceeded
 Considerations in Evaporation
Processes
3. Temperature
Sensitivity of the
Materials
 Considerations in Evaporation
Processes
4. Foaming or
Frothing
 Foam or froth
accompanies the
vapor coming out
of the evaporator
and entrainment
losses occur
 Considerations in Evaporation
Processes
5. Pressure and Temperature
 The higher the operating pressure of the
evaporator, the higher the temperature at
boiling
 The temperature of boiling may rise (BP Rise
or Elevation)
 To keep the temperature low, it is often
necessary to operate under 1 atm pressure,
that is, under vacuum.
BPR
 Considerations in Evaporation
Processes
6. Scale Deposition and
Materials of
Construction
 Some solutions
deposit scale on the
heating surfaces
 Decrease in U may
result
 Materials must be
chosen to minimize
corrosion
 EVAPORATOR TYPES
1. Open Kettle or Pan
- inexpensive but heat economy is poor
2. Horizontal-Tube Natural Circulation Evaporator –
for viscous liquids
3. Vertical-type Natural Circulation Evaporator
- for non-viscous liquids
4. Long-tube Vertical-type Evaporator
- for producing condensed milk
5. Falling-film-type Evaporator
- used for heat-sensitive materials
SINGLE-EFFECT EVAPORATORS

Mass Balance:
F  L V
FxF  Lx1

Heat Balance:
FC pF (TF  T0 )  Ss  LC pL (TL  T0 )  Vhv
Ss  FC pF (T1 ' TF )  V 1

T1 '  T1  BPR Q  UA Ts  T1   Ss

MULTIPLE-EFFECT EVAPORATOR CELLS

Forward
Feed

Backward
Feed
MULTIPLE-EFFECT EVAPORATOR
SYSTEM DESIGN

1
Ui
Ti  Ts  TN  BPR 
 1U
EVAPORATOR SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
• Capacity (mass solvent or water vaporized /
time)
• Consumption (mass of steam/time)
• Economy = capacity/consumption
 PROBLEM
What is the approximate boiling point rise of a
solution containing 30% caustic soda at 5psia?

A. 24 F
B. 15 F
C. 32 F
D. 7F
 PROBLEM
A single-effect evaporator is used to concentrate 0.075 kg/s
of a 10 per cent caustic soda liquor to 30 per cent. The unit
employs forced circulation in which the liquor is pumped
through the vertical tubes of the calandria which are 32 mm
o.d. by 28 mm i.d. and 1.2 m long. Steam is supplied at 394 K,
dry and saturated, and the boiling-point rise of the 30 per
cent solution is 15 deg K. If the overall heat transfer
coefficient is 1.75 kW/m2 K, how many tubes should be
used?
The latent heat of vaporisation under these conditions is
2270 kJ/kg.
a. 93 b. 56 c. 25 d. 130
 PROBLEM
A solution is being evaporated in a triple-effect
evaporator using saturated steam at 121.1 °C
(394.3 K). The pressure in the vapor of the last
effect is 25.6 kPa abs. The heat-transfer
coefficients are U1 = 2,840, U2 = 1,988, and U3 =
1,420 W/m2·K, and the areas are equal. The
boiling point rise are 2K, 8K, and 15K. What is
the boiling point of the liquid in the second
evaporator?
A. 114.5°C C. 108.7 °C E. none
B. 102.5 °C D. 110.3 °C
 PROBLEM
A liquor containing 15 per cent solids is concentrated to 55 per cent solids in a double-
effect forward-feed evaporator cell operating at a pressure of 18 kN/m2 in the second
effect. No crystals are formed. The feedrate is 2.5 kg/s at a temperature of 375 K with
a specific heat capacity of 3.75 kJ/kgK. The boiling-point rise of the concentrated
liquor in the second effect is 6 degK and the pressure of the steam fed to the first
effect is 240 kN/m2 (399 K). The overall heat transfer coefficients in the first and
second effects are 1.8 and 0.63 kW/m2 K, respectively. If the heat transfer area is to be
the same in each effect, what areas should be specified?

The steam consumption(kg/h) is nearly:

a. 3310 b. 3560 c. 2178 d. 1240

The economy is nearly:

a. 1.03 b. 1.97 c. 2.31 d. 3.44

The average heating area for each effect is:

a. 54.3 m2 b. 27.3 m2 c. 89 m2 d. 67.5 m2
 PROBLEM
Falling-film evaporator, working at atmospheric pressure, is used to concentrate a
solution from 5 per cent to 20 per cent solids at the rate of 1.25 kg/s. The solution,
which has a specific heat capacity of 4.18 kJ/kg K, is fed to the evaporator at 295 K and
boils at 380 K. Dry saturated steam at 240 kN/m2 is fed to the calandria, and the
condensate leaves at the temperature of the condensing stream. If the heat transfer
coefficient is 2.3 kW/m2 K,

How much steam is required?

a)2.31 kg/s (b) 5.67 kg/s (c) 1.17 kg/s (d) 0.98 kg/s (e) 1.87 kg/s

The steam economy:

b)0.734 (b) 0.801 (c) 0.622 (d) 0.935 (e) 0.987

The heating area required in sq. meters:

c)58.5 (b) 42.3 (c) 78.3 (d) 12.3 (e) none of these
 PROBLEM
A triple-effect evaporator is fed with 5 kg/s of a liquor
containing 15 per cent solids. The concentration in the last
effect, which operates at 13.5 kN/m2 (325 K), is 60 per cent
solids. The feed temperature is 294 K and the specific heat
capacity of all liquors is 4.18 kJ/kgK. If the unit is run as a
backward-feed system, the coefficients are 2.3, 2.0, and 1.6
kW/m2 K respectively. The steam is fed at 388 K to the first
effect. Compute:

the steam economy

a. 2.3 b. 3.4 c. 1.6 d. 3.1
the heating surface required under these conditions.
a. 81 b. 90 c. 67 d. 73