Evaporation Technologies

Evaporation Process Principles

Evaporation is an operation used to remove a liquid from a solution, suspension, or emulsion by boiling off some of the liquid. It is thus a thermal separation, or thermal concentration, process. We define the evaporation process as one that starts with a liquid product and ends up with a more concentrated, but still liquid and still pump-able concentrate as the main product from the process. There are actually a few instances where the evaporated, volatile component is the main product, but we will not discuss that here.

In most cases it is essential that the product is subject to minimal thermal degradation during the evaporation process, requiring that temperature and time exposure must be minimized. This and other requirements brought on by the physical characteristics of the processed product have resulted in the development of a large range of different evaporator types. Additional demands for energy efficiency and minimized environmental impact have driven development toward very innovative plant configurations and equipment design. GEA Niro Inc. and other evaporator companies within the GEA Group have made major contributions to the development of such concepts, and we are world leaders in many essential areas of this specialized technology. Our technology is supported by several test and development facilities, where the technology is being continually refined, improved, and applied to new products.

Criteria for Selection of Evaporator Plant Concept

During the design of evaporation plants, numerous, sometimes contradictory, requirements have to be considered. They determine which type of construction and arrangement is chosen, and the resulting process and economic data. The most important requirements are as follows:

• Capacity and operational data, including quantities, concentrations, temperatures, annual operating hours, change of product, controls automation, etc.
• Product characteristics, including heat sensitivity, viscosity and flow properties, foaming tendency, fouling and precipitation, boiling behavior, etc.
• Required operating media, such as steam, cooling water, electric power, cleaning agents, spare parts, etc.
• Capital and other financial costs
• Personnel costs for operation and maintenance
• Standards and conditions for manufacture, delivery, acceptance, etc.
• Choice of materials of construction and surface finishes
• Site conditions, such as available space, climate (for outdoor sites), connections for energy and product, service platforms, etc.
• Legal regulations covering safety, accident prevention, sound emissions, environmental requirements, and others, depending upon the specific project.

GEA Process Engineering Inc. evaporation plants are characterized by high quality and efficiency. Careful attention is paid to all of the above criteria, taking into account individual requirements. Furthermore, it is particularly important to us that the plants are reliable and easy to operate.

Typical evaporator applications

• Product concentration
• Dryer feed pre-concentration
• Volume reduction
• Water / solvent recovery
• Crystallization

Different Evaporation Systems

• Falling Film Evaporators
• Rising Film Evaporators
• Forced Circulation Evaporators
• Plate Evaporators
• Compact Evaporators