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EVAPORATOR

1. SINGLE-EFFECT CALCULATIONS
The use of material balances, entalphy balances, and the capacity equation (16.1) in the design
of single-effect evaporators is shown in Example 16.1.

Example 16.1. A single-effect evaporator is to concentrate 20,000 lb/hr 9,070 kg/hr of


a 20 % solution of NaOH to 50 % solids. The gauge pressure of the steam is to be
20 lbf/in 1.37 atm : the absolute pressure in the vapor space is to be 100 mmHg
1.93 lbf/in The overall coefficient is estimated to be 250.00 Btu/ft.hr.F
1,400 W/m-C The feed temperature is 100 F 37.8 C . Calculate the amount of
steam consumed, the economy, and the heating surface required.

Solution

Vapor

Steam

Condensate

Feed Thick liquor


The amount of water evaporated is found from a material balance. The feed contains
80 50
= 4 lb of water per pound of solid the thick liquor contains = 1 lb
20 50
of water per pound of solid. The quantity evaporated is 4 - 1 = 3 lb of water per pound
of solid, or
3 20,000 lb/hr 0.20 = 12,000 lb/hr

The flowrate of thick liquor m is


20,000 lb/hr - 12,000 lb/hr = 8,000 lb/hr
= 3630 kg/hr

Steam Consumption
Since with strong solutions of NaOH the heat of dilution is not negligible, the rate of heat
transfer is found from Eq. (16.4) and Fig. 16.8. The vaporization temperature of t50 %
solution at a pressure of 100 mmHg is found as follows.

Boiling point of water at 100 mmHg = 124 F (Appendix : 7)


Boiling point of solution = 197 F (Fig : 16.4)
Boiling point elevation = 197 F - 124 F = 73 F

The enthalpies of the feed and thick liquor are found from Fig. 16.8
Feed, 20 % solids, 100 F Hf = 55 Btu/lb
Thick Liquor, 50 % solids, 197 F H = 221 Btu/lb

The enthalpy of the vapor leaving the evaporator is found from steam tables, The entalphy of
superheated water vapor at 197 F and 1.93 lbf/in is 1,149 Btu/lb This is the Hv.
The heat of vaporization of steam at gauge pressure of 20 lbf/in is, from Appendix 7,
939 Btu/lb
The rate of heat transfer and the steam consumption can now be found from Eq. (16.4).

= _ _=( _ ( ) )_ _ _+
()H
= _ _=( _ ( ) )_ _ _+
()H

q = 20,000 lb/hr - 8,000 lb/hr 1,149 Btu/lb - 20,000 lb/hr 55 Btu/lb


+ 8,000 lb/hr 221 Btu/lb
q = 14,456,000 Btu/hr

14,456,000 Btu/hr
ms = = 15,395 lb/hr = 6,986 kg/hr
939 Btu/lb
A single-effect evaporator is used to concentrate 7 kg/s of a solution from 10 to 50
percent of solids.

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