Energy Bulletin on

EVAPORATORS

ADB Energy Efficiency Support Project Classification of evaporators

The Government of India and the Government Short tube vertical evaporators
of Netherlands have jointly launched a project
These are natural circulation evaporators and are
entitled “Energy Efficiency Support Project (EESP)”
commonly referred to as calandria or standard
to promote and accelerate the energy and
evaporators. These consist of short tubes, 4 - 6 ft long
environmental activities pertaining to the Indian
and 2 - 4" diamater, set between two horizontal
industry. The project is sponsored by the Asian
tubesheets, arranged within the evaporator body.
Development Bank (ADB) and ICICI Ltd.
The tube bundle contains a large circular
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), an apex downcomer, which returns the concentrated juice
industrial association, is one of the executing from above the top tubesheet, to below the bottom
agency for the project and is responsible for tubesheet, for final product withdrawal. The driving
carrying out promotional activities with the support force for flow of juice through the tubes is the
of Energy Management Centre (EMC) and Tata difference in density between the liquid in the
Energy Research Institute (TERI).
downcomer and the two-phase mixture in the tubes.
Under this promotional activity, CII will publish
energy bulletins periodically and circulate among
the industry. This bulletin will cover the energy
conservation aspects in evaporators, specific to
the sugar industry.

Introduction
Evaporation is the process of removal of volatile
solvent by vaporization, from an aqueous solution
consisting of non-volatile solute. In majority of the
cases of evaporation, the solvent is water.

Evaporation plays a major role in the manufacture
of a variety of products in chemical process
industries, including food processing, pulp & paper,
pharmaceuticals, fertilisers etc. However, this bulletin
will focus only on the evaporator applications in the
sugar (food processing) industry.
Of the various types of evaporators available, the
most commonly used type of evaporator in a sugar
industry, for the concentration of treated juice, are
the short tube vertical evaporators.
Short tube vertical evaporator
Advantages
These evaporators can be used even with liquids
that have a tendency to scale, since evaporation
takes place inside the tubes, which are accessible
for cleaning, fairly high heat transfer coefficients
are obtained with thin liquors (i.e., dilute solutions of
1-5 cP) and they are relatively inexpensive, provided
that they are made of carbon steel or cast iron.

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Disadvantages

A large heating area is required, since the units are

broad, heat transfer coefficients are sensitive to
the temperature difference and liquor viscosity,
due to the large liquid hold-up, these evaporators
cannot be used with heat sensitive materials and
such evaporators are unsuitable for crystalline
products, unless agitation is provided to produce
forced circulation.

Industrial applications : These short tube vertical

evaporators are suitable for non-corrosive, clear
and non-crystallising liquors, such as sugarcane
juice.

Rising film evaporators

The rising film evaporators are more commonly

referred in the sugar industry parlance as Kestner
type evaporator. Steam condenses on the outside
surfaces of vertical tubes. The liquid inside the tubes
is brought to a boil, with the vapour generated
occupying the core of the tube. As the fluid moves
up the tube, more vapour is formed, resulting in a
high core velocity. This forces the remaining liquid
to the tube wall. This leads to a thinner and more
rapidly moving liquid film. As the film moves more
rapidly, heat transfer coefficients increase and
residence time drops.
Advantages
Since feed enters at the bottom, the feed liquor is
distributed evenly to all tubes, as a large heat
transfer area can be packed into a given body,
they occupy less floor space and heat transfer
coefficients are high and are especially suited for
foaming or frothing liquors.
Disadvantages
Heat transfer is difficult to predict, the hydrostatic
head requirement may create a problem with
heat sensitive products, pressure drop is higher
than for falling film types and there is a tendency to
Rising film evaporator
Industrial applications : Major applications include
concentration of black liquor in paper plants,
concentrating nitrates, spin-bath liquors, electrolytic
tinning liquors etc.
Falling film evaporators
In this type, the feed liquor is introduced at the top
tube sheet and flows down the tube wall as a thin
film. Since the film moves by gravity, a thinner
and faster moving film forms. This results in higher
heat transfer coefficients and reduced contact
times.
In a typical sugar industry evaporator, the average
contact time between juice and steam is about 30
seconds, as against 3 minutes in the Kestner type
evaporator and 6 - 8 minutes in the conventional
short tube vertical evaporators. This offers an
excellent opportunity for using high temperature
and pressure steam, as the risk of caramelization of
syrup is avoided/ reduced. Hence, 1.5 kg/cm2 steam
at a temperature of 120°C can be used in the

scale. I- effect of the evaporator.

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Falling film evaporator
Advantages
Heat transfer coefficients are high, there is no
elevation in boiling point, due to the absence of
hydrostatic pressure, satisfactory operation at low
temperature driving forces, concentration of heat
sensitive products can be achieved, due to the very
short contact time of about 30 seconds, temperature
driving force is not limiting and a broader range of
applications is possible and vapour bubble
obstruction is avoided, as the vapour is entrained
with the juice filling the interior of the tube.
Disadvantages
Heat transfer is difficult to predict, there is a
tendency to scale at higher concentrations and
uniform feed distribution is a major problem
Industrial applications : These evaporators are
finding increasing use in the sugar industry. In
addition, they are used for concentration of urea,
phosphoric acid in fertiliser industries and black liquor
in paper industries. They are used, especially, for
applications handling foaming or frothing liquors.
Evaporator arrangements
Most evaporators are heated by steam condensing
on the outer surface of tubes and nearly always the
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material to be evaporated flows inside the tubes.
Usually, the steam is at a low pressure and the boiling
liquid is under moderate vacuum. Reducing the
boiling temperature of the liquid, increases the
temperature difference between the steam and the
boiling liquid, thereby increasing the heat transfer
rate.
Single effect evaporators : Evaporation by heating
with steam in a single vessel is called evaporation in
a single effect. They are used when the required
capacity is small, steam is cheap and are operated
in batch, semi-batch or continuous modes. This
method of operation is rarely used, since it requires
that the body be large enough to hold the entire
charge of feed.
Multiple effect evaporators : If the vapour from the
first evaporator is taken for heating in a second
evaporator, we have a double effect. The heat in
the original steam is reused in the second effect.
The evaporation achieved by a unit mass of steam
fed to the first effect is approximately doubled.
Additional effects can be added in the same
manner.
Thus, with three vessels, we have a triple effect and
so on like a quadruple, quintuple or a sextuple
effect. There are thus as many evaporator vessels
as the effects. The most common evaporators
encountered in practise are the triple, quadruple
and quintuple effects.
Steam economy
Evaporator performance is rated on the basis of
steam economy. Steam economy is defined as the
kilograms of the solvent evaporated per kilogram
of steam used.
The greatest increase in steam economy is achieved
in a multiple effect evaporator, by using the vapour
from one effect as the heating medium for the next
effect, in which boiling takes place at a lower
temperature and pressure. The steam economy of
a multiple effect evaporator will increase in
proportion to the number of effects.
Evaporator performance Such a configuration will offer the maximum steam

The evaporator is the major steam consumer in a savings in the evaporator system (up to 36%

sugar plant. The evaporator concentrates the juice reduction can be achieved).

from a level of 14 – 16° Brix to a level of 60 – 65 °Brix.
The exhaust steam is used for this purpose as it offers
the leas steam consumption. Steam economies of
3 to 5 can be achieved, depending on the number
of effects.
Several types of evaporators are used in the sugar
industry. The commonly used are the quadruple
and quintuple effect evaporators. Typically, the
steam enters the first effect at a pressure 1.1 kg/
cm2 and a temperature of 105oC. The vacuum in
the last effect is maintained around 650 mm Hg.
Another very important aspect, which needs to be
taken care of in an evaporator, is the effective
utilisation of the area available in the evaporator. It
is recommended to raise the clear juice
temperature, very close to the boiling point, at the
pressure prevailing in the first effect. The heating
can be done by use of exhaust steam in a plate-
type heat exchanger.
Condensate recovery
The recovery of the condensate from the
evaporator section is very important, for attaining

The installation of a falling film evaporator (FFE) can higher levels of thermal efficiency of the system.

be considered for the first three effects of a multiple Generally, among the Indian sugar plants, the

effect evaporator system. FFE cannot be used for exhaust condensate is directly taken to the boiler

the IV- effect and V- effects, as the possibility of thick house and reused as boiler feed water. On the other

and sticky scale formation is high with thickened hand, the later effect condensate (vapour-

sulphited juice. This type of configuration has condensate) is utilised as hot water for imbibition,

possibilities for extensive vapour bleeding, with only cleaning, centrifuge washing etc.).

marginal vapour going to the condenser. The Conclusion

vapour bleeding can be as shown below:
Evaporator is a major steam consuming equipment
PANS 22 TPH
31 TPH 9 TPH RJH 7 TPH 2 TPH in a sugar industry. The evaporator performance has
SJH 7 TPH
2 TPH 2 TPH a direct bearing on the steam consumption of the
sugar plant. The installation of falling film evaporators
EVPR
FFE FFE for the first few effects, combined with the practice
38 TPH
I
120°C
II III
IV V of extensive vapor bleeding, can result in major
reduction of steam consumption.
CJH Condensate 31 TPH
3 TPH 38 TPH 9 TPH 2 TPH 2 TPH
Total Condensate For further details, please contact :
- 82 TPH (78%)
To miscellaneous Conditions
DS - 3 TPH Clear Juice - 105 TPH, 14 Brix
Water Syrup - 23 TPH, 64 Brix
4 TPH Evaporation - 82 TPH (78%)
Losses - 1 TPH Cane - 100 PH Confederation of Indian Industry
Steam - 40% on Cane
Energy Management Cell
Exh + Live -
40 TPH
A typical multiple effect evaporator #35/1 Abhiramapuram 3rd Street, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018
Tel: 4661311/0570/0430(D) • Fax: 4660312
system for 2400 TCD Sugar Plant Email: emc.south@ciionline.org/gbc@ciionline.org

Issue Sponsored By:

ICICI LTD. Asian Development Bank

ADB ENERGY EFFICIENCY SUPPORT PROJECT