Multiple-effect evaporators

The use of multiple effects in series is quite common for evaporation of large amounts of dilute aqueous feed, requiring the evaporation of from thousands to hundreds of thousands of pounds per hour of water. The basic principle is to use heat given up by condensation in one effect to provide the re-boiler heat for another effect. In most multiple effect units, the overhead vapor from one effect is condensed directly in the heating element of the next effect. 

In addition to the reduction in steam usage, there is also a reduction in cooling water required to operate the last effect condenser. Approximately 30 poimds of cooling water must be provided for each pound of steam 

Usually, heat transfer rates decrease as temperature decreases, so that the last effects have the lowest rates of heat transfer. By leaving the resistance of these effects higher, the designer can increase the temperature difference across them, thus increasing temperature and heat transfer rates in all the earlier effects. It has been shown that the lowest total area is required when the ratio of temperature difference to area is the same for all effects. When the materials of construction or evaporator type vary among effects, lowest total cost is achieved when the ratio of temperature difference to cost is the same for each effect. However, in most cases where evaporator type and materials of construction are the same for all effects, equal heat transfer surfaces are supplied for all effects. 

The levels in each evaporator are controlled by the liquid stream leaving the vessel. The temperature in the last stage is controlled by manipulating the steam flowrate, even if the steam is not used in the reboiler at this stage but is added at the other end of the evaporator series. 

We have presented a very brief discussion of typical control schemes for a number of important unit operations furnaces, compressors, decanters, steam/power processes, liquid-liquid extractors, and evaporators. Each of these units requires the control of certain key variables if it is to do its job. A basic regulatory control system must be in place on each unit. 

However, the control system for all unit operations must be consistent with the plantwide requirements of the coupled and interconnected process. These can sometimes dictate control structures for units that appear abnormal if only a narrow unit-operation perspective is considered. Units do not function in isolation, and their control systems must reflect this interconnectivity. 

Shinskey, F. G. Process Control Systems, 3d ed., New York McGraw-Hill (1988). 

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Calcium Chloride. Distiller waste Hquor from synthetic plants can be evaporated in multiple effect evaporators, precipitating residual sodium chloride. The resulting mother Hquor is then further evaporated to a molar ratio of lCaCl2 2H20 and cooled to produce flakes that are dried in rotary or... 

The large excess of water from the hydrolysis is removed in a series of multiple-effect evaporators (8), and the ethylene glycol is refined by vacuum distillation. Figure 3 depicts a typical process flow diagram. 

The vegetable-tanning materials are commercially extracted using hot water. The extraction is normally done in countercurrent extractors that permit the final removal of the extracts with fresh water. The dilute extracts are then evaporated to the desired concentration in multiple effect evaporators. Some extracts may be further dried by spray drying or any other means that proves effective without overheating the extract. Extract preparation depends on the type of extract, the si2e of the operation, and the desired concentration of the final product. 

Much of the equipment used in the recovery system is identical with or closely related to equipment used in other chemical industries. This includes multiple-effect evaporators, and forced-circulation concentrators, causticizing equipment, and lime kiln. The function and nature of equipment essentially unique to the kraft recovery system are discussed herein. 

Electrodialysis. Electro dialytic membrane process technology is used extensively in Japan to produce granulated—evaporated salt. Filtered seawater is concentrated by membrane electro dialysis and evaporated in multiple-effect evaporators. Seawater can be concentrated to a product brine concentration of 200 g/L at a power consumption of 150 kWh/1 of NaCl (8). Improvements in membrane technology have reduced the power consumption and energy costs so that a high value-added product such as table salt can be produced economically by electro dialysis. However, industrial-grade salt produced in this manner caimot compete economically with the large quantities of low cost solar salt imported into Japan from Austraha and Mexico. 

Freeze Crystallization. Freezing may be used to form pure ice crystals, which are then removed from the slurry by screens sized to pass the fine sohds but to catch the crystals and leave behind a more concentrated slurry. The process has been considered mostly for solutions, not suspensions. However, freeze crystallization has been tested for concentrating orange juice where sohds are present (see Fruit juices). Commercial apphcations include fmit juices, coffee, beer, wine (qv), and vinegar (qv). A test on milk was begun in 1989 (123). Freeze crystallization has concentrated pulp and paper black hquor from 6% to 30% dissolved sohds and showed energy savings of over 75% compared with multiple-effect evaporation. Only 35—46 kJ/kg (15—20 Btu/lb) of water removed was consumed in the process (124). 

Evaporator may refer either to the type of constmction utilized or to the entire assemblage of equipment in a single installation. Thus a single multiple-effect evaporator may contain a number of effects of either the same or different evaporator types. An effect is a section of the evaporator heated by steam at one pressure and releasing vapor (water) at a lower pressure to another section. The term steam generally indicates the heat supply, whereas vapor means the material evaporated. Thus vapor from one effect becomes steam at the next effect. The term prime steam identifies the steam suppHed from an outside source to operate the evaporator (see also Steam). An effect may consist of several bodies, all operating at the same steam and vapor pressures. The purpose of more than one body in an effect may be to handle Hquor at different concentrations, or the result of size limitations or of additions to increase the capacity of an existing evaporator. 

Sindlady, heating surface area needs are not direcdy proportional to the number of effects used. For some types of evaporator, heat-transfer coefficients decline with temperature difference as effects are added the surface needed in each effect increases. On the other hand, heat-transfer coefficients increase with temperature level. In a single effect, all evaporation takes place at a temperature near that of the heat sink, whereas in a double effect half the evaporation takes place at this temperature and the other half at a higher temperature, thereby improving the mean evaporating temperature. Other factors to be considered are the BPR, which is additive in a multiple-effect evaporator and therefore reduces the net AT available for heat transfer as the number of effects is increased, and the reduced demand for steam and cooling water and hence the capital costs of these auxiUaries as the number of effects is increased. 

Multiple-Effect Evaporators A number of approximate methods have been published for estimating performance and heating-surface requirements of a multiple-effect evaporator [Coates and Pressburg, Chem. Eng., 67(6), 157 (1960) Coates, Chem. Eng. Prog., 45, 25 (1949) and Ray and Carnahan, Trans. Am. Inst. Chem. Eng., 41, 253 (1945)]. However, because of the wide variety of methods of feeding and the added complication of feed heaters and condensate flash systems, the only certain way of determining performance is by detailed heat and material balances. Algebraic soluflons may be used, but if more than a few effects are involved, trial-and-error methods are usually quicker. These frequently involve trial-and-error within trial-and-error solutions. Usually, if condensate flash systems or feed heaters are involved, it is best to start at the first effect. The basic steps in the calculation are then as follows ... 

Bonilla [Trans. Am. Inst. Chem. Eng., 41, 529 (1945)] developed a simplified method for distributing the heating surface in a multiple-effect evaporator to achieve minimum cost. If the cost of the evaporator per unit area of heating surface is constant throughout, then minimum cost and area will be achieved if the ratio of area to temperature difference A/AT is the same for all effects. If the cost per unit area z varies, as when different tube materials or evaporator types are used, then zA/AT should be the same for all effec ts. 

The two principal elements of evaporator control are evaporation rate a.ndproduct concentration. Evaporation rate in single- and multiple-effect evaporators is usually achieved by steam-flow control. Conventional-control instrumentation is used (see Sec. 22), with the added precaution that pressure drop across meter and control valve, which reduces temperature difference available for heat transfer, not be excessive when maximum capacity is desired. Capacity control of thermocompression evaporators depends on the type of compressor positive-displacement compressors can utilize speed control or variations in operating pressure level. Centrifugal machines normally utihze adjustable inlet-guide vanes. Steam jets may have an adjustable spindle in the high-pressure orifice or be arranged as multiple jets that can individually be cut out of the system. 

Multiple-effect evaporators HciS, other odors Caustic scrubbing and thermal... 

Fig. 6-11. Schematic diagram of the kraft pulping process (6). 1, digester 2, blow tank 3, blow heat recovery 4, washers 5, screens 6, dryers 7, oxidation tower 8, foam tank 9, multiple effect evaporator 10, direct evaporator 11, recovery furnace 12, electrostatic precipitator 13, dissolver, 14, causticizer 15, mud filter 16, lime khn 17, slaker 18, sewer.

It is sometimes possible to close an odorous system in order to prevent the release of the odor to the atmosphere. For example, a multiple-effect evaporator can be substituted for an open contact condenser on a process emithng odorous, noncondensable gases. 

Evaporators require a source of heat to operate. This heat may be supplied from a boiler, gas turbine, vapor compressor, other evaporator, or a combination of sources. Multiple effect evaporators are very popular when cheap, high pressure steam is available to heat the system. A Mechanical Vapor Recompression evaporator would use electricity or a gas turbine to drive a compressor that recycles the heat in the evaporator. 

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