Evaporation

Evaporation
M. Sc. II sem (Industrial Chemistry)

Unit Operation & Processes Utilities (ICM 2001)
By
Abu Mustafa Khan

Department of Chemistry
A. M. U. Aligarh
Outline
• INTRODUCTION
• TYPE OF EVAPORATORS
• Short-Tube Vertical Evaporators
• Long-Tube Vertical Evaporators
• Falling Film Evaporators
• Rising or Climbing Film Evaporators
• Agitated Thin Film Evaporator
• PROCESSING FACTOR
• METHODS OF FEEDING OF EVAPORATORS
• Forward feed
• Backward feed
• Mixed feed
INTRODUCTION
• Evaporation is the removal of solvent as vapour from a solution.
• Aim is to concentrate a non-volatile solute.
• Most common solvent in most of the evaporation systems is water.
• Evaporation is carried out by supplying heat to the solution to vaporize
the solvent.
• The common heating source is steam.
• Evaporation is normally stopped before the solute starts to precipitate.
Short-Tube Vertical Evaporators
• Oldest and also known as
calandria, standard evaporator
• A short tube bundle (about 4 to
10 ft in length) enclosed in a
cylindrical shell
• Feed is introduced above the
upper tube sheet
• Steam is introduced to the shell or
steam chest
• Solution is heated and partly
vaporized in the tubes
Long-Tube Vertical Evaporators
• Most widely used natural circulation
evaporator
• Long vertical tube bundle is fixed with a
shell that extends into a larger diameter
vapour chamber at the top
• Liquid flows as a thin film on the walls of
long (from 12 to 30 feet in length) and
vertical heated tube
• Feed enters at the bottom and the liquid
starts boiling at lower part of the tube.
Falling Film Evaporators
• Liquid is fed at the top of the tubes
• Liquid is allowed to flow down through the
inner wall of the tubes as a film.
• Vapour and liquid are usually separated at
the bottom of the tubes and the thick liquor
is taken out.
• Falling film evaporator is largely used for
concentration of fruit juices and heat
sensitive materials because of the low holdup
time.
• Suitable for scale-forming solutions as boiling
occur on the surface of the film
Rising or Climbing Film Evaporators
• Liquid starts boiling at the lower part
of the tube and the liquid and vapour
flow upward through the tube
• Ascending flows generated due to
higher specific volume of the vapour-
liquid mixture
• Liquid flows as a thin film along the
tube wall
• Useful during evaporation of highly
viscous and fouling solutions
Forced Circulation Evaporators
• Natural circulation evaporators are not suitable under some situations
such as:
• Highly viscous solutions due to low heat transfer coefficient
• Solution containing suspended particles
• For heat sensitive materials
Any evaporator that uses pump to ensure higher circulation velocity is

called a forced circulation evaporator
Main components of a forced
circulation evaporator
• A tubular shell and tube
heat exchanger (either
horizontal or vertical )
• Flash chamber (separator)
mounted above the heat
exchanger
• A circulating pump
The solution is heated in the heat exchanger
without boiling and the superheated solution
flashes off (partially evaporated) at a lower
pressure are reduced in the flash chamber. The
pump pumps feed and liquor from the flash
chamber and forces it through the heat exchanger
tubes back to the flash chamber.
Agitated Thin Film Evaporator
• Agitated thin film evaporator
consists of a vertical steam-jacketed
cylinder
• Feed solution flows down as a film
along the inner surface of large
diameter jacket
• Liquid is distributed on the tube
wall by a rotating assembly of
blades mounted on shaft placed
coaxially with the inner tube
• Blades maintain a close clearance of
around 1.5 mm or less from the
inner tube wall.
The main advantage in Agitated thin film evaporator is that rotating blades
permits handling of extremely viscous solutions. The device is suitable to
concentrate solutions having viscosity as high as up to 100 P.
PROCESSING FACTOR
The physical & chemical properties of the solution being concentrated and of
the vapour being removed have a great on the type of evaporator used:
• Concentration in the liquid: As evaporation proceeds the solution become
very concentrated and quite viscous, causing the heat transfer coefficient
to be low.
• Solubility: As solution are heated, concentration increases and solubility
decreases resulting in crystal formation.
• Temperature sensitivity: some materials degrade at higher temperature.
• Foaming & Frothing: Some solution form foam and froth causing
entrainment losses.
• Scale: Results in decrease of heat transfer coefficient.
• Temperature & Pressure: Boiling temperature of the solution also effect
the choice of evaporator.
METHODS OF FEEDING OF EVAPORATORS
Evaporators are classified by the number of effects.
Single-effect evaporator: Vapour from the boiling liquor is condensed

and the concentrated product is withdrawn from the bottom of the
evaporator.
Multiple-effect evaporator: Vapour from one evaporator is used in the

second evaporator for heating.
The steam consumption per unit mass of water evaporated can be
increased by putting more than one evaporator in series.
Configurations based on feeding arrangement
Forward feed
• Both feed and steam are introduced in the first effect and the feed
passed from effect to effect parallel to the vapour from the earlier
effect.
• Product is withdrawn from the last effect.
Backward feed
• Feed enters at the last effect (coldest effect) and is pumped through
the successive effects.
• 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.
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
Reference: “transport-processes-and-unit-operations”,
Christie J Geankoplis, 3rd edition, prentice-hall
International Inc.

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Evaporation

M. Sc. II sem (Industrial Chemistry)

Abu Mustafa Khan

Any evaporator that uses pump to ensure higher circulation velocity is

Single-effect evaporator: Vapour from the boiling liquor is condensed

Multiple-effect evaporator: Vapour from one evaporator is used in the

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