EVAPORATOR

Evaporators are used for water purification. The product to be purified is evaporated into steam
using motive steam at higher pressure as the heating medium. The steam formed is then condensed
resulting in purified water.

The main function of power plant evaporators is to produce distilled water for make-up. They are
economical when make-up is not more than about 5% of the maximum water flow.

The heat of the motivating steam boils off the raw water vapour, which leaves through a moisture
separator and enters a separate deaerator or a separate feedwater-cooled condenser. This is a single
effect evaporator; they may be placed in series where the vapour from one evaporator acts as the
motivating fluid in the next one.

Shell-side pressures vary from vacuum to about 1.37MPa. Evaporators should have ample vapour-
releasing surface to minimize carry-over, which carries a high salt content. Mechanical separators
removed entrained drops.

An evaporator system may be SINGLE-EFFECT, in which the steam is produced from one evaporator,
or MULTIPLE-EFFECT, in which the steam is produced in several evaporators in series.

In a Dual-Effect evaporator, the team formed in the first effect is used to evaporate the raw water in
the second effect.

The ratio (vapour produced)/(steam used) is about 0.8 for the Single-Effect, 1.5 for Double –Effect,
and 2.5 for Triple-Effect system

Definition and Explanation of Terms

1. Film type evaporators – evaporators where spray of water falls on tubes that are kept at a
high temperature by motivating steam in the inside.
2. Flash type evaporators – evaporators that produced steam by dropping the pressure on
water at the saturation temperature. The excess heat flashes part of the water into steam,
then the remainder is drawn off, reheated, and again flashed.
3. Submerged type evaporator – evaporators whose tube bundle is submerged in a liquid.
4. Cracking the evaporator – process of removing scales in the evaporator. The cracking
process involves the draining of all the water from the shell and admitting steam into the
tubes. The tubes will then be heated by to higher than their normal operating operating
temperature, which causes the tubes to bend. The steam is then turned off, raw water is
admitted to shell as rapidly as possible to chill the tubes and to contract them. This bowing
and straightening of the tubes causes the scale to crack off. The scale may then be removed
by draining the shell through the blowdown connections.
5. Disengaging or relieving rate – it is the rate of which vapour leaves the liquid surface. It may
be expressed as the velocity at which the vapour leaves the water surface in meters per
second.
6. Disengaging or relieving surface – it is defined as the width of the water surface in the shell
times the distance between the tube sheets.
7. Heat head – it is the difference between saturation temperature of the motivating fluid and
the saturation temperature of the vapour. For satisfactory operation of the evaporator, the
head head should not be less than 11C. When the heat head of about 56C is reached, the
 tube becomes blanketed with steam, and the type of evaporation changes from nuclear to
film.
8. Nuclear evaporation – it is the formation of bubbles of vapour on the surface of the tubes.
9. Film evaporation – it is the blanketing of the tubes by a film of vapour which acts as an
insulator. The heat transfer coefficient are much lower for film evaporation than for nuclear
evaporation.
10. Evaporation – conversion of a liquid into vapour.
11. Evaporimeter – an instrument for measuring the rate of evaporation of water into the
atmosphere.

An EVAPORATOR SYSTEM may be SINGLE EFFECT, in which the steam is produced from one
evaporator, or MULTIPLE EFFECT, in which the steam is produced from several evaporators in series.

The ratio (vapor produced / steam used) is about 0.80 for Single Effect, 1.5 for Double Effect, and 2.5
for Triple Effect System.

PROBLEM:

1. A double effect evaporator system evaporates 6804 kg at 21C raw water per hour when
receiving steam, dry and saturated, at 0.1724 MPaa. The second effect operates at 0.021
MPaa. Determine:
a. The heat head for each evaporator, assuming that the total heat head is divided equally
between the two effects,
b. The steam required
c. The vapor produced if the initial steam pressure drops to 0.1172 MPaa during the partial
operation, steam flow and the vapor pressure for the second effect remains the same.

Solution:

Heat head is the difference between the saturation temperature of the motivating fluid and the
saturation temperature of the vapor formed. The vapor formed in the first effect is the motivating
fluid in the second effect.

Ms = steam supplied, kg/hr

Ps = steam pressure = 0.1724 MPaa; Ts = 115.6C (saturation temp.)

hg= 2700 KJ/kg

hf= 485.1 Kj/kg

@ 0.021 MPaa, saturation temperature T2= 61.12C (Temperature at Second Effect)

a. Heat Head per Effect = (Ts – T2)/2 = (115.6 – 61.12)/2 = 27.24C (ANS)

T1= temperature of vapor in the 1st Effect = 27.24 + 61.12 = 88.36C

P1 = operating pressure in the 1st Effect = 0.066 MPaa
 hg1= enthalpy of saturated vapor in first effect = 2657.5 KJ/kg

hf1= enthalpy of saturated water in first effect = 370.06 KJ/kg

P2= operating pressure in second effect = 0.021 MPaa

hg2= enthalpy of saturated vapor in 2 nd effect = 2611.6KJ/kg

hm= enthalpy of raw water @ 21C = 88.14 KJ/kg

M1= vapor produced in 1st effect, kg/hr

M2= vapor produced in 2nd effect, kg/hr

M1 + M2 = 6804 kg/hr

Heat Balance of SECOND EFFECT EVAPORATOR

M1(hg1 – hf1) = M2(hg2 – hm)

M1(2657.5 – 370.06) = (6804 – M1)(2611.6 – 88.14)

M1= 3568.9 kg/hr

M2= 6804 – 3568.9 = 3235.1 kg/hr

b. Heat balance in the FIRST EFFECT EVAPORATOR

Required: Ms= steam supplied to the evaporator
Ms ( hg – hf) = M1(hg1-hm)
Ms(2700 – 485.1) = 3568.9(2657.5 – 88.14)
Ms= 4140 kg/hr (ANS)

C. Steam @ 0.1172 MPaa; Ts = 104.12C (sat. temp)

hg= 2682.5 KJ/kg; hf= 436.4 KJ/kg

 Heat Head per Effect = (104.12 – 61.12) /2 = 21.5C

T1= 61.12 + 21.5 = 82.620C

P1 = 0.0527 MPaa (Psat @ 82.62C)

hg1= 2648 KJ/kg; hf1 = 345.9 KJ/kg

If the steam flow remains the same as in (B), Ms = 4140 kg/hr

Heat balance of the FIRST EFFECT:

Ms(hg-hf) = M1(hg1-hm)

4140(2682.5 – 436.4) = M1(2648 – 88.14)

M1 = 3632.56 kg/hr

Heat balance in SECOND EFFECT:

M1(hg1- hf1) = M2(hg2 – hm)

3632.56(2648 – 345.9) = M2 (2611.6 – 88.14)

M2 = 3313.9 kg/hr

Vapor Produced by the EVAPORATOR = M1 + M2 = 3632.56 + 3313.9 = 6946.46 Kg/hr (ANS)

Figure:

Problem #2 : Determine the quantity of make-up water produced per hour in a double – effect
evaporator under the following operating conditions:

1st Effect 2nd Effect

Inlet water 140C 140C
Evaporator Pressure 0.095 MPaa 0.028 MPaa
Condensate subcooled 4C 3C

The first effect receives 386 kg/hour of heating steam at 0.241 MPaa and a dryness factor of 98 %.
Problem #3:

An evaporator produces 5450 kg /hr of make-up water when receiving steam at 0.65 MPaa and
200C. It operates at 0.18 MPaa and has a blowdown of 10 %. Raw water enters at 21C and the
overall coefficient of heat transfer (U) is 3,000 W/sq.m-K. Determine:

A. The tube surface area.

B. The quantity of steam supplied

Solution:

Supplied steam, At 0.65 MPaa & 200C, hs = 2847.45 kj/kg

Ts = 162.1 C, hf = 684.28 kj/kg

Evaporator pressure @ 0.18 MPaa, Tsat = T1= 116.93 0C

hg1= 2701.8 kj/kg; hf1 = 490.68 kj/kg

At 21C, hm = 88.14 kj/kg

M1= 5450 kg/hr

Mb = 0.10(5450) = 545 kg/hr

Mw = M1 + Mb

The Heat Head (∆T) = 162.1 – 116.93 = 45.17 C

Q = heat transferred to water (supplied by steam)

Q + Mw hm = M1 hg1 + Mb hf1

Q + (M1 +Mb)hm = M1hg1 + Mb hf1

Q = M1hg1 – M1hm + Mb hf1 – Mb hm

Q = M1(hg1 -hm) + Mb(hf1 – hm)

Q = 5450(2701.8 – 88.14) + 545( 490.68 – 88.14) = 14,463,831 KJ/hr

Q= 4017.7 KW

Solving for the tube surface area, A

Q = A U ∆T

A = Q / U ∆T = 4017.7 KW / [(3 KW/sq.m-K)(45.17K)]

A = 29.65 sq.m (ANS)

B.Required, Ms=?

Ms(hs - hf) = Q
Ms = Q /(hs -hf) = (14,463,831KJ/hr) / (2847.45 – 684.28)KJ/kg
Ms = 6686.4 kg steam / hr (ANS)