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Huge
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt
 Vacuum Refining

Source: http://www.saltsense.co.uk/aboutsalt-
 Vacuum Refining
• A typical vacuum plant consists of a series of closed cylindrical vessels, or
'effects', containing steam chambers, which in turn contain a number of tubes.
There are several steps in the process:
• Brine is circulated through these tubes with steam condensing on the outer
surface
• The first effect receives low-pressure steam into its steam chamber
• The brine boils at a temperature dictated by the inlet steam pressure
• As the brine boils in the first effect, water evaporates
• This produces further steam and causes salt crystals to grow
• As the brine boils and the water is “driven off”, a thick salt slurry of brine and
salt crystals is formed
• This is fed to the second effect and circulated through a second heater unit
which utilises the exhaust steam from the first effect
• Pressures (and boiling temperatures) become successively lower through the
evaporators. The final ones operate under vacuum and enable the brine to boil
at much lower temperatures, which is more fuel-efficient
• The slurry from the final effect is fed into a centrifuge to extract more moisture
• The resulting undried vacuum salt is then stored in bulk, for supply to the
chemical industry.
• For food and allied industries, a drier salt is required. Salt from the centrifuges is
Salt Refining by Serra
System