Vertical Tube Evaporator

Principle of the vertical tube evaporator

In a standard vertical tube evaporator, the liquid is passed through the vertical
tubes and the steam is supplied from outside the tubes. Heat transfer takes place
through the tubes and the liquid inside the tubes gets heated. The solvent
evaporates and the vapour escapes from the top. The concentrated liquid is
collected from the bottom.

Construction of the vertical tube evaporator

The construction of a standard vertical tube evaporator is shown in Figure. It

consists of a large cylindrical body made up of cast iron with a dome-shaped top
and bottom. Inside the body, calandria is fitted at the bottom. Calandria consists
of a number of vertical tubes, whose diameter ranges from 0.05 to 0.075 metres
and lengths of 1-2 metres. About 100 such tubes are fitted in a body measuring
2.5 metres or more in diameter. Inlets are provided for steam and feed. Outlets
are provided for vapour, concentrated product, non-condensed gases and
condensate.

Working on vertical tube evaporator

Steam is introduced outside the tubes. The condensate is passed through the
corresponding outlet and non-condensed gases escape through the vent. The feed
is introduced in such a way as to maintain the liquid level slightly above the top
of the tubes. The liquid inside the tubes is heated by the steam and begins to boil.
As the liquid boils, it spouts up through the tubes and returns through the central
down-take. It sets up a circulation of hot liquid, which enhances the rate of heat
transfer. The vapour escapes through the top outlet. Steam is supplied until the
required concentration of the product is obtained. Finally, the product can be
withdrawn from the bottom outlet.

Uses: Vertical tube evaporator is used in the manufacture of Cascara extract,

sugar, salt, and caustic soda.
Advantages

• In a vertical tube evaporator, tubes increase the heating surface nearly 10

to 15 times when compared with a steam jacketed kettle.
• Vigorous circulation enhances the rate of heat transfer.
• It can be connected to a condenser and receiver, which further increases
the rate of evaporation. Such attachment is also suitable for volatile
solvents.
• A number of units can be joined to obtain a more efficient effect (multiple
effect evaporators are later).

Disadvantages

The liquid is maintained above the level of the calandria. Hence, the upper layers
of the liquid need a long time for getting heated. This problem can be minimised
by removing concentrated liquid slowly at the bottom.

The evaporator is complicated, hence, installation cost increases. Cleaning and

maintenance are difficult when compared with a steam jacketed kettle.

During operation, the pressure inside the evaporator increases. In large

evaporators, where the liquid depth may be of the order of 2.0 metres, the pressure
increases to 25.0 kilopascals, leading to elevation of the boiling point by 5 or 6°C.
This reduces the effective temperature gradient and may affect heat-sensitive
materials.
 Forced Circulation Evaporator
Principle of forced circulation evaporator:

In forced circulation evaporator, the liquid requires additional mechanical

agitation for its movement, i.e., liquid is circulated through the tubes using high
pressure pumps. As a result, liquid does not boil because boiling point is high.
Sudden fall in pressure, observed when the liquid leaves the tubes and enters the
vapour head, leads to flashing of super-heated liquor. This affects the
evaporation.

Construction of forced circulation evaporator:

Forced circulation evaporator consists of a pump for increasing pressure and

circulation. The evaporator also has steam jacketed tubes held between two tube
sheets. The internal diameter of the tube is 0.1m and length is 2.5m. The parts of
the tubes project into the vapour head, consisting of a deflector and connected to
a return pipe which runs downward and enters the pump inlet.

Working of forced circulation evaporator:

Steam is introduced through the inlet into the calandria (heating tubes). Feed is
introduced through the provided inlet and is forced by the pump to the tubes with
a positive velocity. While moving upwards through the tubes the liquid heats up
and boils. The vapour-liquid mixture rushes out of the tubes at a high velocity
and strikes the deflector which throws the liquid downward. This step is also
necessary for an effective separation of liquid and vapour. The separated vapour
enters the cyclone separator and escapes through the outlet. The liquid moves
down the return pipe to the pump for further evaporation. This continues till the
desired concentrated product is obtained which is collected.

Uses of forced circulation evaporator:

Forced circulation evaporator has the following uses:

1) It is used for concentrating heat sensitive materials.
2) It is used for insulin and liver extracts.
3) It is suitable for corrosive solutions.
 4) It is suitable for crystallising operations where crystals are to be suspended at
all the times.

Merits of forced circulation evaporator:

Forced circulation evaporator has the following merits:

1) It has a high heat transfer coefficient due to rapid liquid movement.
2) Salting, scaling, and fouling are not possible due to forced liquid circulation.
3) It is suitable for heat sensitive materials because of rapid evaporation.
4) It is also used for liquids with high viscosity, as pumping mechanism is used
circulating the liquid.

Demerits of forced circulation evaporator:

Forced circulation evaporator has the following demerits:

1) It has a high residence time for the liquids.
2) It is expensive because of the pump required for liquid circulation
 Falling Film Evaporators
In falling film evaporators, liquid and vapours flow downwards in parallel flow.
The liquid to be concentrated is preheated to boiling temperature. An even thin
film enters the heating tubes via a distribution device in the head of the
evaporator, flows downward at boiling temperature, and is partially evaporated.
This gravity-induced downward movement is increasingly augmented by the co-
current vapor flow.
Falling film evaporators can be operated with very low temperature differences
between the heating media and the boiling liquid, and they also have very short
product contact times, typically just a few seconds per pass. These characteristics
make the falling film evaporator particularly suitable for heat-sensitive products,
and it is today the most frequently used type of evaporator.
However, falling film evaporators must be designed very carefully for each
operating condition; sufficient wetting of the heating surface by liquid is
extremely important for trouble-free operation of the plant. If the heating surfaces
are not wetted sufficiently, dry patches and incrustations will occur; at worst, the
heating tubes will be completely clogged. For complete wetting it is important
that a suitable distribution system is selected for the head of the evaporator.
Wetting rates are increased by using longer heating tubes, dividing the evaporator
into several compartments or by recirculating the product. The proper design of
the liquid distribution system is critical to achieve full and even product wetting
of the tubes. Because of the low liquid holding volume in this type of unit, the
falling film evaporator can be started up quickly and changed to cleaning mode
or another product easily. Falling film evaporators are highly responsive to
alterations of parameters such as energy supply; vacuum, feed rate,
concentrations, etc. When equipped with a well-designed automatic control
system they can produce a very consistent concentrated product. The fact that
falling film evaporators can be operated with small temperature differences
makes it possible to use them in multiple effect configurations or with mechanical
vapor compression systems in modern plants with very low energy consumption.
Advantages
• Best product quality – due to gentle evaporation, mostly under vacuum,
and extremely short residence times in the evaporator.
• High energy efficiency – due to multiple effect arrangement or heating by
thermal or mechanical vapour recompressor, based upon the lowest
theoretical temperature difference.
• Simple process control and automation – due to their small liquid content
falling film evaporators react quickly to changes in energy supply, vacuum,
feed quantities, concentrations, etc. This is an important prerequisite for a
uniform final concentrate.
• Flexible operation – quick startup and easy switchover from operation to
cleaning, uncomplicated changes of product.
• Particularly suited for temperature sensitive products.
• For liquids which contain small quantities of solids and have a low to
moderate tendency to form incrustations.
Disadvantages

Application
 Rising Film Evaporators
These operate on a "thermo-siphon" principle. Feed enters the bottom of the
heating tubes and as it heats, steam begins to form. The ascending force of this
steam produced during the boiling causes liquid and vapours to flow upwards in
parallel flow. At the same time the production of vapor increases and the product
is pressed as a thin film on the walls of the tubes, and the liquid rises upwards.
This co-current upward movement has the beneficial effect of creating a high
degree of turbulence in the liquid. This is advantageous during evaporation of
highly viscous products and products that have a tendency to foul the heating
surfaces. Usually there must be a rather high temperature difference between the
heating and boiling sides of this type of evaporator. Otherwise the energy of the
vapor flow is not sufficient to convey the liquid and to produce the rising film.
The length of the boiling tubes will typically not exceed 23 ft. This type of
evaporator is often used with product recirculation, where some of the formed
concentrate is reintroduced back to the feed inlet in order to produce sufficient
liquid loading inside the boiling tubes.
The evaporator is thus a continuous one in operation. Within the tubes there are
three distinct regions. At the bottom under the static head of liquid, no boiling
takes place, only simple heating occurs. In the centre region the temperature rises
sufficiently for boiling and vapour is produced, heat transfer rates are still low. In
the upper region the volume of vapour increase and the remaining liquid is being
wiped into a film on the tube surfaces resulting in good heat transfer conditions.
 Wiped Film Evaporators

The operation process in the WFE is simple but yet effective. Feed is introduced
at the top of the unit and spread on the shell inner surface by the rotating
distribution plate. Specially designed wipers wipe the feed thus creating and
renewing the film. This thin film enables an efficient heat transfer even for highly
viscous fluids. The low boiling component evaporates and passes through an
entrainment separator. This minimizes the carryover of liquid droplets along with
the vapours. The vapours are removed through the vapor line to an external
condenser (optional) and condensed. For specific applications which demand low
pressure drop, the central section of the evaporator is provided with a condenser,
thus making the unit a short path/molecular distillation unit. In this case, the
vapours are allowed to condense on the outside of the tube bundle and flow out
of the vaporator via the condensate outlet provided at the centre.
The high boiling component flows along the shell wall and is discharged from the
product outlet. Wiper action is important in promoting downward flow. The
product/concentrate should be in fluid form at the operating temperature.
Different designs of rotors are available depending upon the product, its viscosity
and the process pressure.
Advantages:
• Evaporation at low operating temperature
• Short residence time (few seconds)
• High heat transfer coefficients
• Low pressure drop on vapor side
• No degradation or loss of active ingredients
• Self-cleaning\wiping of the heat transfer surface
• Suitable for viscous liquids
• Continuous operation
• Low maintenance

The Wiped Film Evaporator is used for concentration, distilling, stripping,

dehydration and deodorisation of products which are heat sensitive or viscous.
The equipment can handle a very wide range of feed compositions ranging from
1% to over 95% concentration.
The operation is continuous with a single pass; the self-cleaning continuous
contact wipers produce and renew the thin film. Such an operation improves
product yield, avoids residue and colour formation.