Performance Evaluation of an Agitated Thin Film Evaporator for Concentration of Pineapple Juice

Ibrahim 1
Greiby , Muhammad 2
Siddiq , Ibrahim Omer 3
1Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, , 2Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
3Department of Process and Food Engineering University Putra Malaysia , Kuala lumpor , Malaysia

Abstract Materials and Methods Results & Discussion

0.060
1. Fresh Pineapple(Ananas comosus) 16
0.055 11.3 °B
Concentration is one of the important operations in the food industry with 14 25C
0.050

shear stress (pa)

applications ranging from citrus juice concentration to production of paste and Fruits free from physical damage or microbial spoilage were bought 12 35C 0.045 20 °B

Viscosity(Pa.s)
from a local market. The fruit was peeled and diced for 10 45C 0.040 35 °B
purees from fruits and vegetables pulps. The use of agitated thin film evaporator 60C 0.035
pulverization in a small juice extractor. The juice was then filtered, 8 0.030 45 °B
(ATFE) allows for the concentration to be undertaken at low temperature and collected in a tank and its concentration (°Brix), density and 6 0.025
short residence time, thereby resulting in reduced color and nutrient loss. For an 4 0.020
viscosity were measured. 0.015
ATFE process parameters that influence concentration include: steam 2 0.010
0 0.005
temperature, product feed rate, vacuum pressure, rotor speed, product physical 0.000
and thermal properties, and overall heat transfer coefficients. The objectives were shear rate(s-1)
25 35 45
Temperature(oC)
60
to study heat transfer coefficient (Ui) of pineapple juice/conentrate in ATFE under Fig 3: Viscosity of Pineapple juice at different
Fig 1: Rheogram of Pineapple juice at increasing Fig 2: Rheogram of Pineapple juice with increasing
different rotational speeds and liquid flow rates. Experiments were conducted with temperatures with constant concentration (35°Brix) concentration (°Brix) at constant temperature (45°C) temperatures and concentrations.
fresh pineapple juice (11.3°Brix), and three different feed concentration of Table 2: Evaporator (ATFE) performance with fresh pineapple juice as
Table 1: Overall heat transfer coefficient and performance of ATFE with
pineapple juices (14.4, 19.9, and 27.3 °Brix). Pineapple juice was concentrated fresh pineapple juice (11.3 °Brix ) at 25 ±2°C. feed (11.3 °Brix) at feed temperature of 25 ±2°C
in ATFE to different °Brix levels at rotational speeds of 200, 400, and 600rpm, Capacity Consumption
Solid% Out Steam Steam Economy
flow rates of 25, 35, and 45 liter/hour. Ui ranged from 390 to 2700 W/m2 °C and F. rate, Speed
(±0.07-±0.36) Economy Ui (w\m2.°C) STDV
Flow rate Speed Solid% Out (kg/h) (kg/h)
(kg steam/kg
(l/h) (rpm) (l/h) (rpm) (±0.07±0.36) (±0.13±0.29) (±0.12-±0.26)
increased with increase in the feed rate and rotational speed. For fresh juice (kg/kg) vapor)
(11.3°Brix) Ui was significantly higher than concentrated juice (27.1°Brix) at 45 25 200 13.04 0.558 617.5 ±14.50 25 200 13.04 2.77 4.96 0.558
litter/hour and 600 rpm . For Hunter color values there were small decrease in 25 400 13.50 0.628 706.52 ±27.05 25 400 13.50 3.56 5.68 0.628
lightness and significantly increase in redness and almost no changes in 25 600 14.95 0.751 948.46 ±22.08 25 600 14.95 5.73 7.62 0.751
yellowness at highest concentration. Total color difference increased from 1.5 to 35 200 13.86 0.669 1080.56 ±17.96 35 200 13.86 5.81 8.68 0.669
9.5 for 16.8 and 40.3°Brix, respectively. Chroma, which represents the color 35 400 15.67 0.787 1473.81 ±28.13 35 400 15.67 9.32 11.84 0.787
intensity didn’t significantly change. The hue angle for concentrated juices was 35 600 15.77 0.791 1493.57 ±27.76 35 600 15.77 9.50 12.00 0.791
shifted from 89.7 to 69.11 for 11.3 and 40.3°Brix, respectively. Vitamin C contents 45 200 14.84 0.745 1278.1 ±40.29 45 200 14.84 10.05 13.49 0.745
45 400 15.98 0.799 1570.1 ±34.78 45 400 15.98 12.66 15.83 0.799
were changed by 10.1%, and 23.13% for the 16.8, and 40.3 °Brix, respectively. The Research Approach Diagram
45 600 16.49 0.817 2089.25 ±32.64 45 600 16.49 13.72 16.79 0.817
This study demonstrated that the concentration process involves very complex
2. Agitated Thin Layer Evaporator (ATFE)
heat-mass transfer requiring process optimization in order to reduce quality 1.Nusselt number based on the arithmetic mean temperature of the fluid: 2. Nusselt number based on the evaporation temperature of the fluid
losses, which has economic significance. Eqn. 1: Nue = 3.118 ×10-7(Ree) 1.429(Pr) 2.353(Fr ) 0.186 (µf/µb)-0.154 , R2 = 0.889 Eqn. 2: Nue = 1.32×10-4(Ree) 1.097(Pr) 1.129(Fre) 0.152 (µf/µo)-0.407 , R2 = 0. 874
e
40 8 35
6

35 6

Objectives
30 4

30 4

Pridected Nu
25 2

RESIDUAL
Predicted Nu
Residual
25 2

20 0

 Evaluate the performance of the agitated thin-film evaporator for the 20 0

-2
15

concentration of pineapple juice and monitor the quality degradation of the juice 15 -2

-4

during concentration 10 -4 10

-6
5 -6 5 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

 Determine the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) of an agitated thin-film 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
PREDICTD
Expermintal Nu Predicted Nu Experemontal Nu
evaporator at different flow rates, rotor speeds and concentrations at constant Fig (4a): Predicted vs. experimental Nu for the Fig (4b): Plot of residuals vs. observed Nu for Fig (5a): Predicted vs. experimental Nu for Fig (5b): Residuals vs. observed Nu for
juice concentration (predicted using Eqn. 1) predictions using Eqn. 1., mean temperature (Tm) Pineapple juice concentration (Eqn. 2) predictions using( Eqn. 2), temperature (Tb)
steam and vacuum pressure using pineapple juice as the feed material.
3. Mechanism of Juice Concentration by ATFE Table 3: Vitamin C Contents for Fresh and
 Establish dimensionless correlations for the overall heat transfer coefficient and C Cc T CD T CDc concentred Pineapple juice ( 35 kg/h flow rate)
operating parameters under a wide range of conditions likely to be used. 59.9 L L Lc L Lc
25
Pineapple juice Vitamin C content
L Lc L
49.9 Lc 20 (°Brix) (mg/100 ml)

Hunter Lab Value

Hunter Lab value
Governing Equations Feed Flow Rate Condensate
Flow Rate
39.9

29.9
15 Fresh 11.3 29.92(0.31)
b
b
bc
b
bc
b
bc
b bc 10 16.8 26.91(0.70)
1. Overall mass balance: 19.9
ac 5 19.9 25.51(0.34)
9.9 ac

mf = mv+mp a a ac ac a a
a
-0.1 0 27.4 23.10(0.36)
11.3 16.8 19.9 27.4 40.3
xf . mf = xp . mp Feed and Condensate flow rate design of the Heat Transfer Layers Concentration (Brix)
11.3 16.8 19.9
Concventration (Brix)
27.4 40.3
40.3 23.00(0.35)
2.Enthalpy balance: Fig 6: Hunter lab values for fresh, diluted, and contracted Fig 7: Total Color difference and Chroma for Pineapple juices
pineapple juices after concentration by ATFE.
mf hf(Tf,xf) +ms Hs(Ts)=mvHv(Tb)+mphp(b,xp)+mshs(Ts )
Conclusions
3. Inside heat transfer coefficient(hi) 1. Ui in ATFE increased as flow rate and rotor speed increases

 C p     D  Ds  v    DN 
1.0 0.62 0.55 2. The Dimensionless correlations established based on the operating conditions can be used to predict the overall heat
hD  Ds 
 nB 
0.53
        D transfer coefficients (Ui ) during evaporation in ATFE.
k  k      v    3. ATFE performed better at high flow rate and high rotor speed as well as high feed temperature.
  0.014   0.96 4. Pineapple juice behaved as a Newtonian fluid at below 35 °Brix concentration
4. Overall heat transfer coefficient (Ui) Design of normal cycle of feed Design of feed recirculation 5. Pineapple juice behaved as a Power Law fluid above 35 °Brix concentration

q  UAi Tlm   ms H s  hs   mS S
6. The proposed model can be used to describe the viscosity of pineapple juice at any concentration (low or high) and
4. Performance & the variable parameters: temperature within the conditions studied.
.Capacity (kg vaporized / time) (mv) Steam Pressure =2bar(constant)

Ui 
ms  H s  hs  .Economy (kg vaporized / kg steam input)
.Steam Consumption (kg / hr)
Rotor Speed
Flow Rate
=200,400,600 rpm
= 25 kg/h, 35 kg/h, 45 kg/h
References
Ai  Tlm 
Stream economy =mv /ms Pawar SB, Mujumdar AS,Thorat BN. 2011. Flow pattern and heat transfer in agitated thin film dryer. Chem Eng Process 50(7): 687-693.
Consumption = Capacity/Economy Juice Conc,= 11.3,14.4,19.9 and 27.4 °Brix
Nakamura. K.. Watanabe. T. 1980. Fundamental Investigation of Flow in an Agitated Thin Film Evaporator (3rd Report, Theoretical Analysis). Bulletin of the JSME. 23, 1483.