CLP301: ChE Lab 1- Fluid Mechanics and Heat

Transfer Lab
Semester II, 2020 – 2021
COVER PAGE FOR REPORT SUBMISSION

Experiment Name (as given in Double Effect Evaporator

handout)

Group day (Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri) Friday

Subgroup Number 2

Date / day of submission Friday, February 26

Date / day of common doubt

session for experiment

Names of group members 1. Saurav Mittal

(2018CH10243)
2. Simarpreet Singh Sethi
(2018CH70312)
3. Utkarsh Kumar Choudhary
(2018CH70317)
4. Abhinav Vitthal
(2018CH70273)
5. Shikhar Anand
(2018CH70308)

Name of lab instructor Professor MKS Verma

Marks (to be filled by instructor /

TA)
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–
A. OBJECTIVE OF THE EXPERIMENT
• To concentrate the sodium carbonate solution.
• To evaluate the economy and capacity of the evaporator steady state.

B. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
The set-up consists of:
• Two stainless steel evaporators are attached in series and enclosed by a stainless-steel
jacket with accumulators.
• Use a dilute solution as the first evaporator's feed.
• The evaporator will receive steam from the steam generator.
• The steam trap on the jacket absorbs the condensate.
• A shell and tube style condenser condenses the vapours of a volatile solvent.
• The accumulator's remaining non-volatile solute is recycled via the evaporator.

Schematic of double effect evaporator

C. THEORY INVOLVED
A double effect evaporator could be a gadget which fundamentally employs heat
energy accessible in steam generated amid the method of dissipation. Within the
double effect evaporator, two evaporators are utilized in arrangement where vapours
from the 1st evaporator are being used to assist warm up the arrangement within the
moment evaporator. Steam is provided within the to begin with impact to vanish the
solution. Forward bolster strategy is utilized where the warmed vapors from the primary
impact is utilized to vaporize the mostly concentrated arrangement within the moment
impact. The primary impact is for the most part at air weight and the consequent
impacts are at diminishing weight.
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Material balance

𝑊𝑓 = 𝑊 + 𝑊𝑣 (1)

𝑊𝑓 . 𝑋𝑓 = 𝑊𝑋 (2)

Heat balance
The steady state heat balance around the evaporator van be given by:
𝑊𝑠 . 𝜆𝑠 + 𝑊𝑓 . ℎ𝑓 = 𝑊𝑣 . 𝐻 + 𝑊. ℎ (3)

Where, 𝑊𝑠 = flow rate of steam

𝜆𝑠 = Latent heat of condensation of steam
𝑊𝑓 = flow rate of feed

ℎ𝑓 = Specific enthalpy of feed

𝑊𝑣 = flow rate of vapor leaving the system

H = specific enthalpy of vapor leaving the system
W = flow rate of product
h = specific enthalpy of product
Capacity: Evaporator capacity can be defined as the amount(kg) of water evaporated
per hour.
Economy: Steam Economy is defined as kg of water evaporated per kg of stem used.
Overall Heat Transfer coefficient(U) can be obtained from steady balance:
𝑄 = 𝑊𝑠 . 𝜆𝑠 = 𝑈𝐴(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇) (4)
Where, A = surface area of the evaporator
𝑇𝑠 = saturated temperature of steam in the shell
T = boiling point of the solution at the prevailing pressure inside the
evaporator
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D. METHOD AND PROCEDURE

Starting Procedure:
• Make a 5% sodium carbonate solution. For N a2CO3, build a concentration vs.
density calibration curve. Close all valves properly and fill the cooling water tank with
water.
• By opening the funnel valve and the air vent valve, fill the steam generator 3/4 full of
water, then close the valves properly. Make sure all of the switches on the panel are
switched off before attaching the setup to the power source. Set the steam
temperature (between 110 and 120 degrees Celsius).
• Switch on the heater and wait for the temperature to hit the desired amount. By
opening the funnel valve and vent valve, fill the feed tank with the solution, then shut
both valves. Connect compressed air to the setup and set the feed tank pressure
between 0.5 and 1 kg/cm2 with a pressure regulator and pressure gauge.
• Allow feed to reach the evaporator through the control valve and Rota-meter by
opening the feed supply valve and the steam supply valve, respectively. To let air
out, open the vent valve before the first evaporator's steam trap and then the valve.
• Turn off the feed supply with a Rota-meter after maintaining a level of solution
apparent through the front glass of the first evaporator. Wait until the temperature of
the vapour rises before opening the re-circulation valve of the first evaporator.
• Open the vent valve before the second evaporator's steam trap and shut it to let air
out. To feed the second evaporator, partially open the first evaporator's product
outlet valve.
• Set the feed flow rate on the Rota-meter feed source to keep the amount of solution
in the first evaporator's side glass constant. Turn off the feed supply with a Rota-
meter after maintaining a volume of solution in the front glass of the second
evaporator.
• Open the re-circulation lever on the second evaporator. Wait until the temperature of
the vapour begins to rise. Switch on the pump and set the cooling water flow rate
with the Rota-meter, then partially open the second evaporator's product outlet
valve.
• Open the Rota-feed meter's supply and set the feed flow rate to keep the amount of
solution in both evaporators' side glasses constant. Record the flow rate of
condensed steam using a measurement cylinder and a stopwatch.
• Record the rate of evaporated vapour condensation using a measurement cylinder
and a stopwatch. Keep track of the temperature and flow rate of the substance.
• The concentration of a material can be calculated from the calibration curve by
measuring its density at room temperature.

Closing Procedure:
• Switch off the heaters when the experiment is over.
• Partially open the steam generator's vent valve to relieve heat.
• Switch OFF the pump and switch OFF power supply to panel.
• Stop the compressed air supply to the setup and release the air pressure with a
regulator.
• Drain the feed tank using the drain valve provided.
• Using the product outlet valve, drain the evaporator.
• Drain the condenser using the drain valve provided.
• Remove the water from the steam engine.
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E. RESULTS
I. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Density of water ρw = 1000 kg/m3

Volume of feed Vf = 25 ml
Mass of feed Mf = 25.49 g

Calibration curve to understand the level of concentration achieved in the evaporator:

S.no Concentration of Weight of Na2CO3 Volume of Density of
Na2CO3 solution (%) (g) Na2CO3 (ml) Solution(g/ml)

1 5 25.2 25 1.008

2 6 25.54 25 1.0216

4 8 25.94 25 1.0476

5 9 26.13 25 1.0652

Observation table to estimate steady state:

Temperature Readings
Time(min) T1(◦C) T2(◦C) T3(◦C) T4(◦C) T5(◦C) T6(◦C) T7(◦C) T8(◦C)

5 117.7 96.2 30.4 105.6 105.6 96.7 28.7 30.3

10 117.8 96 30.2 105.2 105.2 96.3 27.7 30.3

15 117.7 95.8 30 105 105 96.4 27.7 30.3

Evaporator Specifics
Time (min) 1st Effect Vapour 2nd Effect Vapour Steam

Vv1 tv1 (min) Vv2 tv2 (min) Vs ts (min)

5 58 5 29 5 80 5

10 72 10 34 10 90 10

15 78 15 37 15 95 15

II. CALCULATIONS
• Density of feed ρf = (Mf / Vf)*1000 = 1019.6 kg/m3
• Density of product ρp = (Mf / Vf)*1000 = 1053.2kg/m3

• Flow rate of product, Wp = VP * 10-6 * ρP / tP = 2.925 kg/m3

• Flow rate of feed Wf = Ff * 10-3 * ρf / 3600 = 0.00566 kg/s
• Rate of steam condensation Ws = VP * 10-6 * ρw / ts = 1.055 kg/s
For first evaporator:
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• Rate of condensation of vapor from condenser, kg/s Wv1 = VV1 * 10-6 * ρw /

tv1
For second evaporator:
• Rate of condensation of vapor from condenser, kg/s Wv2 = VV2 * 10-6 * ρw /
tv2
• Steam Economy E = (Wv1 + Wv2) / WS
• Evaporator Capacity, kg/hr C= (Wv1 + Wv2) * 3600

Time Wp(10^−5) Wf kg/s Ws(10^−4) Wv1 Wv2 E C

(min) kg/s kg/s kg/s (10^−5) kg/hr
kg/s

5 8.7766 0.00566 2.6667 19.3333 9.6667 1.0875 1.044

10 4.38833 0.00566 1.5 12.0 5.6667 1.177 0.636

15 2.9255 0.00566 1.055 8.6666 4.111 1.21 0.46

III. RESULT
Since all values appear to be at steady state, we report the value of Economy and
Capacity as average of the readings:

Capacity C (kg/hr) = (1.044+0.636+0.46)/3 = 0.7134

Economy E = (1.0875+1.177+1.21)/3 = 1.1582

IV. ERROR ANALYSIS

We report errors as percentage deviation from the average value:

ΔE ΔC(kg/hr)

6.10% 46.34%

1.62% 10.84%

4.47% 35.52%

SOURCES OF ERROR
• Temperature perusing may contain a few mistakes while recording. It may vary
within the esteem.
• Streams from the rotameter may not be consistent all through the experiment. This
may result in variation in our readings.

F. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Q1. The double effect evaporator can be extended to accommodate even more
vessels to make a multiple effect evaporator. Show qualitatively what is the
maximum number of vessels that can be connected so that the evaporator is still
economically feasible.
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As we increase the number of evaporators, in a multi-effect evaporator the steam

economy of the evaporator is expected to steadily rise, thereby decreasing the
economic cost of the energy expended on the system. However, at the same time the
cost of other factors such as labour and capital go up, thereby decreasing the economic
feasibility of increasing the number of evaporators indefinitely. Qualitatively this can be
shown with the following graph:

As the number of evaporators (n) increases the energy cost (steam economy =)
steadily decreases while cost for other factors go up. Thereby, the total economic cost
sees a minima around 2-3 evaporators, indicating that double/triple-effect evaporators
provide optimal economic efficiency in the concentration process.

Q2. Is it possible to extend the evaporator (assuming ideal operation with no

losses) infinitely? Explain your answer in detail.
Apart from being not economically viable, it is also not practically possible to have a
functioning infinitely extended evaporator even with ideal operation. This is because,
the driving force for the heat transfer between the condensing vapor from evaporator 1,
and the boiling liquid in evaporator 2 is the temperature difference between the boiling
point of the liquid and the temperature of the vapor. As we move forward in a multi-way
evaporator, the temperature of the vapor decreases. Thereby, the driving force goes on
decreasing and the heat transfer operation may stop after a few evaporators.

Q3. Comment on the expected pressure in both the first and the second
evaporating chamber.
The Pressure of the first chamber is expected to be around atmospheric pressure,
whereas the Pressure of the 2nd chamber is expected to be lower than the first
chamber. This decrease in pressure comes about as there is less vapor entering
chamber 2, than is leaving chamber 1. Also, this Pressure difference is responsible for
movement of liquid from chamber 1, to chamber 2 without the need for an external
pump.

Q4. Identify the major losses that reduce the efficiency of the system and discuss
on ways they can be eliminate.
The major losses responsible for reducing the efficiency of the system are heat losses
through the pipes and walls of the chamber. Heat losses decrease the temperature of
the vapor, thereby decreasing the driving force for heat transfer and reducing the
efficiency of the system. In order to eliminate/minimize the heat losses:
1. Propper insulation of walls and pipes in the system is necessary
2. Short pipes can be used, in order to reduce the surface area available for
heat loss
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3. Feed and steam flow rates can be increased, to reduce the time available for
heat loss

G. PRECAUTIONS
• Operate the instruments carefully.
• The power supply provided to the apparatus should not be less than 180 volts and
above 230 volts.
• Ensure that the balance is calibrated before weighing.
• Ensure that all switches and the valves are in OFF position before switching on the
mains supply.

REFERENCES
[1] Kern, D.Q., “Process Heat Transfer”, 16th ed., McGraw Hill, ND, 2007
[2] Sarma, Gunajit, and Surajit Deb Barma. "Energy Management in Multiple–Effect
Evaporator System: A Heat Balance Analysis Approach." Gen 1.2 (2010): 84-88.
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