Contents

• introduction
• Types of evaporator
• Selection criteria for evaporation
• Method of feeding of evaporator
• Process design consideration of evaporator
• Design procedure of evaporator
• Steps in calculation of natural circulation evaporator
 Introduction

• Evaporators are used to convert liquids into gaseous state via heat
transfer.
• All of the basic evaporators have mechanism to separate liquid and
vapor by means of a heat transfer.
• The raw material fed into the evaporator and passes through heated
tubes.
• The heat evaporates the water within the raw material.
Cont..
• Evaporation differs from drying in that the residue is a flowable liquid
instead of a solid.
• Evaporation is different from distillation in that there is no attempt to
separate the vapors into individual components.
• Its used to concentrate a solution containing non-volatile solute and
volatile solvent.
• It consists of a heat exchanger or heated bath, valves, manifolds,
controls, pumps and condenser.
• Evaporation follows: Pooling boiling, convective heating
and boiling and film evaporation (Boiling phenomenon)
Types of evaporator
Natural circulation evaporator
• Natural Circulation occurs due to density
• difference in hot and cold fluid
• Operational parameter: Balance between two
• phase friction, acceleration losses in flow,
• Static head of liquid in evaporator (Once
through or recirculation)
• Heating surface: Horizontal and Vertical
• Useful: Moderate evaporation process, good
for single stage operation
Cont…
Advantages;
• fairly compact and are easy to clean and operate.
• They can also be easily adapted according to the product
that needs to be obtained.
Disadvantages
• high head-room requirements.
• higher pressure drop through the tubes than in a falling film
evaporator
Forced circulation
evaporator
• Forced circulation gives high
liquid velocity in tubes (2 – 6
m/sec),
• it also high heat transfer
coefficient with small heating
surfaces.
• Have a variety of arrangements
for services where the feed
and/or product liquor has a
tendency to salt or scale.
• the viscosities of the solutions are
so high that natural circulation is
not feasible.
Cont…
Advantages:
• Heat transfer coefficient is high
• Operational flexibility
• Useful for crystallizing and concentrating thermally degradable products
• Can handle viscous solution
 Disadvantages:
• High cost: Maintenance cost
• Corrosion problem
• Tube blockage due to foaming
Long tube vertical evaporator
• Single pass vertical shell and tube heat exchanger
• with small vapour head.
• Tube length: 4 – 12 m
• Tube diameter: 19 – 50 mm
• Operation: Once through or recirculation modes
• Natural or forced circulation basis
• Categorized: Rising/Falling film evaporator
• Large surface area in compact design
Rising/falling film evaporator
 Rising Film Evaporator:
• Feed introduced from the bottom and boiling occurs inside tube
• Vapor generated occupies core of the tube.
• As liquid move upwards, more vapor are generated.
• Vapours force the liquid towards wall.
• A thin and rapidly moving liquid film is formed on the tube wall.
• Rapidly moving film increases heat transfer coefficient.
• Rising film evaporator: suitable for mild scaling fluid
 Falling Film Evaporator:
• Liquid introduced at the top of tube sheets
• It rolls down tube wall in form of film
• Film moves by gravity at faster rates
• No static head to affect temperature driving force
• Handle heat sensitive fluids
Agitated thin film evaporator
• Comprised of large diameter Jacketed Tubes
• Rotating shaft inside the tubes (Agitation)
• Material to be concentrated is continuously spread as thin film on tube wall by agitation
• It can be horizontal or vertical
• Diameter of tube = 75 – 1200 mm
• Length of tube = 0.6 – 8 m
Advantages:
• Useful for highly viscous liquid, slurry, heat sensitive and crystallizing liquid
• Can be used for fouling or scaling liquid (scrapping is done on regular basis)
Disadvantages:
• Expensive unit
• High operating and maintenance cost
• Heat transfer area is limited, heat transfer coefficient is low
Selection criteria for evaporator
• Factors related to process design
• Viscosity of the feed: Decrease or increase during evaporation
• Nature of the product required: Solid, Slurry or Concentrated solution
• Fouling or non-fouling: Sedimentation, Crystallization, Corrosion, Polymerization
• Thermal sensitivity of the product
• Evaporator load: Large heat transfer area is required for higher heat load
• Heat Transfer Coefficient: Velocity, viscosity, density, sp. Heat, Thermal
conductivity
• Vapour-liquid separation
• Foaming properties: Foaming causes large material loss due to entrainment
Method of feeding evaporator
Forward feed: Both feed and steam are introduced in the first effect
and the feed passed from effect to effect parallel to the vapor from
the earlier effect.
• Concentration increases from the first effect to the last.
• The product is withdrawn from the last effect.
• It requires a pump for feeding of dilute solution to the first effect.
• A pump removes thick liquor from the last effect.
• The typical feeding method of multi-effect evaporators is forward
Cont…
Backward feed: Feed enters at the last effect (coldest effect) and is
pumped through the successive effects.
• The product is withdrawn from the first effect (hottest) where the steam is
introduced.
• This method of feeding requires a pump between each pair of effects to
transfer liquid from lower pressure effects to higher pressure effects.
• It is advantageous when cold feed entering needs to be heated to a lower
temperature than in forward feed operation.
• Backward feed is commonly used when products are viscous and exposure to
higher temperature increases the rate of heat transfer due to reduction in
viscosity of the liquid.
Cont…
Mixed feed: Dilute feed liquid enters at an intermediate effect and flows in the
next higher effect till it reaches the last effect of the series.
• Liquid flows in the forward feed mode.
• Partly concentrated liquor is then pumped back to the effect before the one to
which the fresh feed was introduced for further concentration.
Parallel feed: Fresh feed is introduced to each effect and in this configuration the
product is withdrawn of from the same effect in parallel feed operation.
• There is no transfer of liquid from one effect to another effect.
• It is used primarily when the feed is saturated and the product is solid containing
slurry.
• This is most common in crystallizing evaporators.
Process design consideration of evaporator
• Types of evaporator, forced or natural circulation, feeding arrangement,
boiling point elevation, heat transfer coefficient, fouling, tube size and
arrangement are all very important.
1. Tube size, arrangement and materials
• Selection of suitable tube diameter, tube length and tube layout (trial and
error approach)
• If pressure drop is more than the allowable pressure drop: Further
adjustments in tube diameter, tube length and tube-layout is required.
• Tube materials: Low carbon steel, stainless steel, brass, copper, cupronickel
etc.
• Selection of tube materials: Corrosiveness of solution and working conditions
Cont…
2. Heat transfer coefficients
• Heat transfer coefficient of condensing steam in shell side is normally
very high compared to the liquid side.
• Tube side (liquid side) heat transfer coefficient practically controls the
rate of heat transfer.

• Overall heat transfer coefficient: should be either known/calculated

from performance data of an operating evaporator.
General assumptions for designing
evaporator
There is no leakage or entrainment
The flow of non-condensable is negligible
Heat loss from the evaporator system is negligible
For all concentrations and temperatures, the feed’s specific heat remains
constant.
The overall heat transfer coefficient stays constant.
The evaporator run in a steady-state environment.
Each effect produces vapors that are devoid of solute.

Heat transfer area for every effect is almost equal

Design procedure of evaporator
• The latent heat of condensation of the steam is transferred through the
heating surface to vaporize water from a boiling solution.
• two enthalpy balance equations are required to in order to calculate the
rate of solvent vaporization and the rate of required input heat.
• From the enthalpy data of the solutions, steam and condensate, the rate of
heat input or the rate of steam flow can be calculated.
• The overall heat transfer coefficient is should be either known from the
performance data of an operating evaporator of the same type and
processing the same solution or a reasonable value can be selected from the
standard.
• With this information, the required area of heat transfer can be estimated.
Cont…
• Calculate the tube-side and shell-side pressure drop using the method
discussed during design of shell and tube exchanger from specified
values of the tube length, diameter and the tube layout.
• If the pressure drop value is more than the corresponding allowable
pressure drop, further adjustments in the heat exchanger
configuration will be required.
Steps in designing of natural circulation evaporator

Thermal design of natural circulation evaporator.

• These following equations were used for the calculation Mass
balance:
𝑚𝑓 = 𝑚𝑣 + 𝑚𝑝 .....................1
• Solid balance:
X𝑓 × X𝑓 = X𝑝 × X𝑝 ……………...2
Cont…
• Enthalpy balance:
(M𝑓 × M𝑓) + (M𝑠 × M𝑣𝑠) = (M𝑣 × M𝑣1) + (M𝑝 × M𝑝1) + (M𝑠 × M𝑐𝑠)...3
Where, Mf = Mass flow rate of feed, kg/h
Ms = Mass flow rate of steam, kg/h
Mv = Mass flow rate of vapor, kg/h
Mp = Mass flow rate of concentrated product, kg/h
Xf = Solid fraction in feed
Xp = Solid fraction in concentrated feed
Hf = Enthalpy of feed, kJ/Kg
Hvs = Enthalpy of saturated vapor at temperature Ts, kJ/Kg
Hv1 = Enthalpy of saturated vapor at temperature T1, kJ/Kg
Hp = Enthalpy of concentrated product, kJ/Kg
Hcs = Enthalpy of condensate, kJ/Kg
Cont…
• 𝑞 = 𝑈 𝐴 (𝑡𝑠 − 𝑡1) = (𝑚𝑠 × ℎ𝑣𝑠) − (𝑚𝑠 × ℎ𝑐𝑠) ..................4
Where, U = Overall heat transfer coefficient, W/M2 0C
A = Area, m2
Q = Rate of heat transfer, W
Mechanical design of natural circulation evaporator
1) The number of required tubes (N)

• No. of tubes = Heating surface / π x Effective Length Mean x Diameter

Nt = S / ( π x Dm x Lm )
Where, S is heating surface
Lm is effective length mean
Dm is diameter

• Effective tube length L m = L – 2 x Tb – 2 x Ta

Where ,L is tube length
Tb is tube plate thickness
Ta Is tube allowance for
expansion
Cont…
2.Tube plate and down take diameter
• Tube plate area for tubes only (AT) =
At = 0.866 x Pt 2 x Nt / β
Where ,Pt is tube pitch
Nt is total tubes
β is proportionality factor Pitch
• Pt = OD + Legment + Tube Tolerance(0.5mm) + Hole Tolerance(0.1mm)
3) Down take diameter:
• Single down-take diameter = Tube plate dia for tubes x % down-take on tube plate.
• Central down-take diameter = √ [4/π x (Area of the single down-take – Total area of peripheral
down take)].
• Final required tube plate diameter = √ [ 4/π x (Area of the Tube plate for tubes + Down-take area)]
Cont…
4) Diameter required for vapor entry and Calendria in radial
steam/vapor entry
• Diameter of the Vapor Inlet:
• Each steam entry diameter= √ [ (4/π) x (Area for the vapor entry / No. of vapor
entries)]

Calendria diameter at steam entry

• Diameter of calendria at the point of radial steam entry = width of the steam entry +
final tube plate diameter.
5) Vapor outlet pipe diameter
• Vapor outlet pipe diameter = √ [vapor volume / (velocity of vapor x 0.785)]
Cont…
6) Diameter of the condensate line
• Each condensate line diameter = √ (Volume of the condensate / (velocity of condensate x 0.785)
Dc = SQRT ( (Qc/Vc)/0.785))
Where ,Qc is weight of condensate
Vc is volume of condensate
7) Noxious gases connection
• Each non-condensable gases line diameter = √ (Total area of non-condensable gases /0.785 x no.
of points)
8) Calendria shell thickness:
• Calendria shell thickness in mm = (P* Di / (2*F*J – P) ) + C
where ,P = Maximum allowable pressure in kg/cm2
ID = ID of the Calendria in mm
F = Allowable stress in kg/cm2
Cont…
J = Welding Joint efficiency in mm
C= corrosion allowance in mm
9) vapor shell thickness
Vapour shell thickness = (P* ID / (2*F*J – P) ) + C
where, P = Maximum allowable pressure in
kg/cm2
F = Allowable stress in kg/cm2
J = Welding Joint efficiency in mm
C= corrosion allowance in mm
ID = ID of the Calendria in mm

10
Cont…
10) Tube plate thickness:
Tube plate thickness in mm = f x G x SQRT((0.25 x P)/F) + C
whwre, C= corrosion allowance in mm
F = Allowable stress in kg/cm2
P = Maximum allowable pressure in kg/cm2
Es = Modulus factor for MS sheet in kg/cm2
Et = Modulus factor for SS sheet in kg/cm2
G = ID of the shell inmm
ts = Thickness of the shell in mm
tt = Thickness of tube in mm
do= OD of the tube in mm
Do = OD of the calendria sheet in mm
Nt = Number of tubes
K =( Es x ts x (Do -ts)) /(Nt x Et x tt x(do -tt))
f = SQRT ( K / (2 + 3K))
MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!