TX69299 ch01 frame.

book Page 654 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

654 Unit Operations in Food Engineering

18.6.4 Plate Evaporators

Plate evaporators consist of a set of plates distributed in units in which vapor
condenses in the channels formed between plates. The heated liquid boils
on the surface of the plates, ascending and descending as a film. The liquid
and vapor mixture formed goes to a centrifugal evaporator.
These evaporators are useful to concentrate heat sensitive products, since
high treatment velocities are achieved, allowing good heat transfer and short
residence times of the product in the evaporator. Also, plate evaporators
occupy little space on the floor and are easily manipulated for cleaning, since
setup and dismount are easy and quick. Plate evaporators are usually
employed to concentrate coffee, soup broth, light marmalades, and citric juices.
Besides the evaporators described here, there are other types, such as
expanded flow, scrape surface and those based on the functioning of the
thermal pump used for evaporation of products very sensitive to heat.

Problems
18.1
A salt solution is concentrated from 5 to 40% in weight of salt. For this reason,
15,000 kg/h of the diluted solution are fed to a double-effect evaporator that
operates under backward feed. The steam used in the first effect is saturated
at 2.5 atm, maintaining the evaporation chamber of the second effect at a
pressure of 0.20 atm. If feed is at 22°C, calculate: a) steam flow rate needed
and economy of the system; b) heating area of each effect; c) temperatures
and pressures of the different evaporation and condensation chambers.
Data: consider that only the 40% salt solution produces a boiling point rise
of 7°C. The specific heat of the salt solutions can be calculated by the
expression: ĈP = 4.18 – 3.34 X kJ/(kg·°C), where X is the mass fraction of
salt in the solution. The global heat transfer coefficients of the first and second
effect are, respectively, 1860 and 1280 W/(m2 °C). Specific heat of water vapor
is 2.1 kJ/(kg·°C).
The diagram of the double-effect evaporator is represented in Figure 18.P1.
Properties of the saturated steam:

Pw = 2.5 at = 2452 mbar T = 126.8°C

hˆw = 533 kJ kg
ˆ = 2716 kJ kg
H λ w = 2183 kJ kg
w

P2 = 0.2 atm = 196 mbar tb 2 = 59.7°C

hˆV 2 = 250 kJ kg
ˆ = 2609 kJ kg
H λV 2 = 2359 kJ kg
V2

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TX69299 ch01 frame.book Page 655 Wednesday, September 4, 2002 2:13 PM

Evaporation 655

Wv V1
PC T P1 t1

V2
P2 t2
I P1 II P2
t1 V1 t2 V2

WV V1
V2
PC T P 1 tb 1
P 2 tb 2

Wc Wa

FIGURE 18.P1
Backward feed double effect evaporator.

Global and component mass balances:

15, 000 = wC + V1 + V2

(15, 000)(0.05) = w (0.40)C

obtaining:

wC = 1875 kg h and V1 + V2 = 13, 125 kg h

Initially, it is assumed that V1 = V2 = 6562.5 kg/h, supposing that the

composition of the stream w2 is X2 = 0.09.
The specific heats of each stream are obtained from the equation given in
the problem statement:

For XA = 0.05, ĈPA = 4.01 kJ/(kg·°C).

For XC = 0.40, ĈPC = 2.84 kJ/(kg·°C).
For X1 = 0.09, ĈP1 = 3.88 kJ/(kg·°C).

According to the statement of the problem, boiling point rise is only in the
first effect, while it can be neglected in the second one, yielding that t2 = tb2 =
59.7°C.

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656 Unit Operations in Food Engineering

In order to perform the calculation process, it is supposed that the areas

and the heat flows transferred through these exchange areas are equal for
the two effects, complying with (Equation 18.48):

Q˙ T − tb 2 − ∆Tb 1
= =
(
127.2 − 59.7 − 7 º C )
A 1 1  1 1  m2 º C
+  + 
U1 U2  1860 1280  W
•

Hence, Q/A = 45,569 W/m2.

The temperature te1 is obtained from the heat transfer rate equation in the
second effect:

(
Q˙ A = U2 tb 1 − t2 ) tb 1 = 95.3°C

The boiling temperature in the first effect is:

t1 = tb 1 + ∆Tb 1 = 95.3 + 7 = 102.3 º C

It is possible to find the properties of the saturated steam from the tem-
perature tb1 = 95.3°C and the saturated steam tables:

tb 1 = 95.3°C P1 = 855 mbar

hˆV 1 = 399.3 kJ kg
ˆ = 2668 kJ kg
H λV 1 = 2268.7 kJ kg
V1

Enthalpy balances applied to both effects yield:

1st effect:

( ( ) ( )) ( )(
2183 wV = 2268.7 + 2.1 ⋅ 7 V1 + 2.84 1875 102.3 − 95.3 )( )
− 3.88 w ( 59.7 − 95.3)
2

2nd effect:

( )(
2268.7 V1 = 2359.4 V2 − 4.01 15, 000 22 − 59.7 )( )
Together with the following balance equations:

w2 = wA − V2

V1 + V2 = 13, 125

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Evaporation 657

A four-equation system with four unknowns is obtained, which, when

solved, yields:
wV = 8102 kg h w2 = 9056.5 kg h

V1 = 7181.5 kg h V2 = 5943.5 kg h

The value of the areas through which heat is transferred can be obtained
by means of the equations of heat transfer rate through such areas:

1st effect:

( ) (
8102 2183 3600 = 1.86 A1 126.8 − 102.3 )
2nd effect:

( ) (
7181.5 2268.7 3600 = 1.28 A2 95.3 − 59.7 )
A1 = 107.81 m2 A2 = 99.32 m2

The mean area is Am = 105.56 m2. Since these areas differ by more than
2%, the calculation procedure should begin again, rectifying the intermediate
temperatures t1 and te1, since the other temperatures remain the same:

( )(
tb 1 − 59.7 = 95.3 − 59.7 A2 Am ) tb 1 = 93.8°C

126.8 − t1 = (126.8 − 102.3)( A A )

1 m t1 = 101.3°C

Hence, tb1 = 101.3 – 7 = 94.3°C.

Since they are different, the mean value of each temperature is taken: tb1 =
94°C and t1 = 101°C.
The new enthalpies for 94°C can be found in the saturated steam tables:

tb 1 = 94°C P1 = 815 mbar

hˆV 1 = 393.8 kJ kg
ˆ = 2666 kJ kg
H λV 1 = 2272.2 kJ kg
V1

The four-equation system stated above is solved again using the new value
of λV1, yielding:

wV = 8090 kg h w2 = 9051 kg h

V1 = 7176 kg h V2 = 5949 kg h

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658 Unit Operations in Food Engineering

The areas are recalculated from the velocity equations:

A1 = 102.22 m2 A2 = 103.16 m2

(a) Economy of the system:

V1 + V2 13, 125
E= = = 1.62
wV 8090

(b) Area per effect:

Am = 102.7 m2

(c) 1st effect:

PC = 2452 mbar T = 126.8°C

P1 = 815 mbar t1 = 101.0°C

2nd effect:

P1 = 815 mbar tb 1 = 94.0°C

P2 = 196 mbar t2 = 59.7°C

18.2
A double-effect evaporator, operating under forward feed, is used to con-
centrate clarified fruit juice from 15 to 72 °Brix. The steam available from the
boiler is saturated at 2.4 atm, and the vacuum pressure in the evaporation
chamber of the second effect is 460 mm Hg. The diluted juice is fed into the
evaporation chamber at a temperature of 50°C and a mass flow rate of 3480
kg/h. If the overall heat transfer coefficients for the first and second effects
are 1625 and 1280 W/(m2 ·°C), respectively, determine: (a) steam flow rate
from the boiler and economy of the system; (b) heating surface for each
effect; and (c) temperatures and pressures in the condensation and evapo-
ration chambers for each effect.
Data: properties of the fruit juices: the boiling point rise can be calculated
according to the expression ∆Tb = 0.014 C0.75 P0.1exp(0.034 C)°C, where C is
the soluble solids content in °Brix and P is the pressure in mbar. The specific
heat is a function of the mass fraction of water according to the equation:

Cˆ P = 0.84 + 3.34XWATER kJ kg ⋅°C( )

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