Evaporation

To reduce load times, this material is divided into three Iiles, corresponding to the numbered points
below. The present Iile (evap3.html) contains point 3 only.
1. Evaporator Concepts
History
PerIormance Measures
Boiling Point Elevation
Multiple EIIect Evaporators
ReIerences
2. Evaporator Modeling
Dynamic Model
Steady State Model
Heat TransIer
3. Evaporator Calculations
Single EIIect
Multiple EIIect
Evaporator Calculations
Evaporator problems require solution oI the system material and energy balances with the
accompanying property and heat transIer equations. Solution would be rather straightIorward, except
that oIten the required thermodynamic properties are only available in tabular or graphical Iorm.
Single Effect Calculations:
Single eIIect evaporator calculations are Iairly basic. Usually it is possible to solve the material and
energy balances analytically by a sequential approach.
Typically, the operating temperature is not provided. Usually, the operating pressure or temperature oI
the vapor condenser is known, and can be used to determine the temperature using steam tables, etc.
You may need a diIIerent steam table than you normally use, since not many textbook tables have good
coverage oI the vacuum range commonly used in evaporators.
Don't Iorget to allow Ior boiling point elevation. Remember that when BPE is present, the vapor will be
superheated.
You also should be prepared Ior side calculations -- steam consumption, evaporator economy, etc.
Multiple Effect Calculations
Typically, multiple eIIect evaporator calculations require an iterative solution procedure because so
many oI the required properties, etc., depend on unknown intermediate temperatures. Fortunately, the
overall approach is basically the same Ior the majority oI problems, requiring only minor adjustments to
compensate Ior problem quirks.
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In a typical evaporator problem, you are given the steam supply pressure, the operating pressure oI the
Iinal eIIect, values Ior the overall heat transIer coeIIicient in each eIIect, the Ieed pattern, and the Ieed
and product compositions. You also know that the eIIects are all to have the same heat transIer area.
You typically want to Iind the steam consumption and the heat transIer area, and one or more oI the
temperatures, Ilows, and compositions Irom within the system.
The overall strategy is to estimate intermediate temperatures, solve the material balances Ior the solvent
vapor Ilow rates, use these to determine the heat transIerred in each eIIect, and Irom that inIormation
Iind the heat transIer area. II the areas are not equal, you revise the temperature estimates and repeat the
procedure.
The steps in the procedure can be summarized as:
1. Use the overall component balance to completely determine the Ieeds and product streams. These
numbers are Iixed and are not changed by iteration.
2. Calculate the total amount oI solvent vaporized (another Iixed number). Divide this up into
estimated amounts Ior each eIIect; usually it is convenient to split it equally.
3. Use component and material balance to get estimates Ior the remaining Ilowrates within the
system and the compositions oI the intermediate streams. These (and all the estimated quantities)
will change each iteration.
4. Use the compositions to estimate BPEs and other properties. Be sure to keep track oI which
properties depend on composition, temperature, or both.
5. Determine the overall temperature drop between the steam and the saturation temperature oI the
last eIIect (remember to subtract oII the BPEs).
Note that the BPE values may depend on the concentrations, so the overall Delta T can vary with
each iteration.
6. Allocate the overall drop among the various eIIects. Since the areas are the same, the temperature
diIIerence in each eIIect is roughly proportional to the overall transIer coeIIicients.
7. Use the Delta T and BPE values to obtain estimates Ior all the temperatures in the system.
Typically, you do this starting with the steam to the Iirst eIIect, subtracting a Delta T, adding a
BPE, etc.
You can use the saturation temperature oI the last eIIect as a check -- it should match the value Ior
your Iinal eIIect operating pressure.
8. Use the temperature and composition estimates to get enthalpy values. You can get these Irom
speciIic heat calculations or Irom data.
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Be sure to use the same reIerence temperatures Ior all streams, including those taken Irom steam
tables, etc.
9. Set up the process side enthalpy balances. Use material balances to eliminate the liquid Ilows Irom
the enthalpy equations. Do enough algebra so that the only unknowns leIt in the balances are the
vapor Ilow rates and the steam to the Iirst eIIect.
10. Solve the set oI equations that is made up oI one enthalpy balance Ior each eIIect and the total
vapor material balance Ior the unknown vapor Ilows (one oII each eIIect and the steam to the
Iirst).
11.
12. Compare the areas. II they are not equal, you need to repeat the calculation. Begin by using the
areas you obtained to revise the temperature estimates. The recommended approach is to use the
ratio oI the calculated heat transIer area Ior an eIIect to the arithmetic mean oI the calculated
areas.
13. Repeat the calculations (Irom step 7) until the system converges. II your BPEs, enthalpy data, etc.,
depends on composition, you will need to include steps 3 and 4 in each cycle as well.
14. Once the system has converged, answer questions. Be sure to use values Irom the Iinal iteration to
calculate your answers.
A sample triple eIIect evaporator calculation may be downloaded as a Mathcad Iile. The example
neglects BPE in order to show the algorithm clearly.
R.M. Price
Original: 12/17/96
ModiIied: 4/6/98, 4/5/99; 3/6/2003
Copyright 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003 by R.M. Price -- All Rights Reserved
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