Accepted Manuscript

Vinasse concentration and juice evaporation system integrated to the conventional

ethanol production process from sugarcane – Heat integration and impacts in
cogeneration system

Edgar Fernando Cortes-Rodríguez, Nilton Asao Fukushima, Reynaldo Palacios-

Bereche, Adriano V. Ensinas, Silvia A. Nebra
PII: S0960-1481(17)30763-2
DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.08.036
Reference: RENE 9134

To appear in: Renewable Energy

Received Date: 11 December 2016

Revised Date: 19 July 2017
Accepted Date: 5 August 2017

Please cite this article as: Cortes-Rodríguez EF, Fukushima NA, Palacios-Bereche R, Ensinas AV,
Nebra SA, Vinasse concentration and juice evaporation system integrated to the conventional ethanol
production process from sugarcane – Heat integration and impacts in cogeneration system, Renewable
Energy (2017), doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.08.036.

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1 Vinasse concentration and juice evaporation system integrated to the

2 conventional ethanol production process from sugarcane – Heat integration and
3 impacts in cogeneration system
4

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5 Edgar Fernando Cortes-Rodríguez1; Nilton Asao Fukushima1; Reynaldo Palacios-Bereche1, *; Adriano
6 V. Ensinas1; Silvia A Nebra1,

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1
7 Centre of Engineering, Modelling and Social Sciences, Federal University of ABC (CECS/UFABC),
8 Avenida dos Estados 5001, Santo André, SP 09210-580, Brazil.
9

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10 Abstract:

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11 In the ethanol production process one of the most polluting residues is the vinasse, which is the bottom
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12 product of distillation column. Vinasse is produced in the range of 10 to 15 litres per litre of ethanol, and is

13 currently used to irrigate sugarcane fields because of the presence of macronutrients (N, P, K) in its
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14 composition. However, because of the large amount produced, its disposition in sugarcane fields involves

15 high transport costs and does not allow an adequate application, thus causing damage to soil and
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16 groundwater due to its high content of organic components. In this context, vinasse concentration with
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17 multiple-effect evaporator systems not only allows to reduce significantly its volume through the increase of

18 its initial solids concentration, that is generally between 2 - 5%, which reduces the costs of disposal; but also
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19 allows to consider alternative ways of energetic usages, for instance, its incineration or anaerobic

20 biodigestion. Thus, the aim of this study is to accomplish an energy evaluation of the heat integration of a
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21 juice evaporation system and a vinasse concentration system in the conventional ethanol production process
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22 by analysing three different configurations of multiple-effect evaporator systems. The energy and mass

23 balances were solved using the EES® software while heat integration, using the Pinch Method, was applied

24 in order to minimize the utility consumption. A simulation of the cogeneration system was also performed in

25 order to evaluate bagasse and electricity surplus. Two configurations for the cogeneration system were

26 studied: i) using back-pressure steam turbines and ii) using condensing-extracting steam turbines.

27 Additionally, an economic assessment was performed in order to estimate the capital and operating costs,

Corresponding author: Reynaldo Palacios Bereche, Federal University of ABC, Av. dos Estados, 5001. CEP 09210-
580, Santo André - SP - Brazil. E-mail: reynaldo.palacios@ufabc.edu.br
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28 aiming to identify the most appropriate configuration. The results show that it is necessary to project the

29 integration of these concentration systems taking into account the overall process. Furthermore results show

30 that an appropriate integration of evaporation systems (Case2) could achieve steam consumption at the range

31 of 345 kg/t cane and electricity surplus for sale of 91 kWh/t cane.

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32

33 Keywords: Pinch analysis, ethanol, sugarcane, heat integration, utilities, cogeneration.

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34 1. Introduction

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35 With the considerable increase in energy demand due to industrial globalization and population growth

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36 in recent decades, the bioethanol, as a secondary energy source, has achieved a very good position in the
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37 energy market because of its environmental advantages for being a renewable energy resource. According to

38 the Renewable Fuels Association [1], in 2015, a total production of 97.22 million m3 of bioethanol was
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39 obtained, where the United States, with its production based on corn, and Brazil, with its production based on

40 sugarcane, were the main protagonists with a joint production that covered about 85% of the world
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41 production.
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42 The sugarcane production is one of the most important economic activities in Brazil. It has not only

43 allowed the country to be the second largest producer of bioethanol, with around 27% of the world
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44 production [2], but has also allowed a large generation of electricity in cogeneration systems from the use of

45 sugarcane bagasse, supplying a considerable part of the electrical demand of the domestic network which has
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46 continuously increased its importance.

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47 The fuel ethanol in Brazil, which started to be produced in large scale about 40 years ago, has put the

48 country as a world leader in the biofuel use field. According to BEN (2016) [3], the Brazilian production of

49 ethanol in 2015 grew 14.7 %, in comparison with the previous year, reaching 30,249 million of m3. In

50 addition, a value of 30,705 million of m3 were consumed internally forcing the importation of additional

51 quantities to supply the total consumption.

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52 In the ethanol production, one the most polluting residues is the vinasse, which is the bottom product of

53 distillation column. Vinasse is produced in the range of 10 to 15 litres per litre of ethanol [4]; it has a high

54 water content and represents an environmental problem owing to its high biological oxygen demand (BOD)

55 and chemical oxygen demand (COD) [5]. Taking into account that the ethanol production of a conventional

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56 distillery is approximately 1.0 million of litres per day [6], the amount of vinasse produced can reach 15

57 million of litres per day, which represents a disposal problem with high costs. Although the vinasse can be

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58 used to produce biogas by anaerobic digestion to generate steam and electricity, processed into animal food

or other valuable by-products, it is currently used to irrigate sugarcane fields, however, because of the large

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59

60 amounts produced and the transport costs involved, it is not applied appropriately, which can cause damage

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61 to soil and groundwater. There is a great discussion regarding the convenience of this final disposal because

the vinasse is a pollutant with high amounts of organic components that must be treated. Nowadays, in the
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63 vast majority of industries, its use "in natura" is a common practice. In this context, vinasse concentration
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64 would allow to reduce significantly the vinasse volume, which would also reduce its disposal cost. However,

65 the concentration of vinasse, through evaporation systems, brings a rather significant additional thermal
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66 consumption in distilleries.
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67 The need to improve the efficiency of the ethanol production brings new devices, systems, and the

68 implementation of new processes or improvements in already-existing processes, aiming to reduce the

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69 internal energy consumption and offering the possibility of generating larger amounts of electricity for sale

70 in cogeneration systems. For instance, deserve mention the mechanical vapour recompression [7], the double
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71 effect distillation [8] and the use of hydrophilic membranes for dehydration operation [9] deserve mention.In
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72 this way, the concentration of vinasse has become one of the most important processes in the industry mainly

73 because of environmental concerns, however, from the first vinasse evaporators registered in 1954, when the

74 Austrian company VOGELBUSCH installed the first concentrator that utilized thermosyphon evaporators

75 [10], these systems have had a timid development for decades, when compared to other types equipment in

76 this industry. The main characteristic of the evolution of these systems was the change in the type of

77 technology. It started using thermosyphonic evaporators, and were later switched to multiple-effect
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78 concentrators that can use falling film evaporators, forced circulation evaporators and plate evaporators

79 among others, offered in the product portfolio [11, 12, 13] of some of the main manufacturers, such as

80 VOGELBUSCH, GEA and VEOLIA, present in the United States and Brazil.

81 The design and integration of a vinasse concentration system in an ethanol production plant require the

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82 previous analysis of some important aspects, such as the consumption of water and electricity. However, the

83 most relevant aspect in this process is the utility consumption represented by the steam used in the system.

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84 This parameter will define the number of evaporators required and, consequently, the area and the initial

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85 investment for the project.

86 A greater amount of steam available for the concentration system can represent a smaller amount of

87
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effects or, conversely, if the conditions of the plant do not offer a high amount of steam, a greater amount of
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88 effects will be necessary to decrease the utility consumption; taking into account this condition, it is possible

89 to observe that manufacturers currently offer concentrators that have from four to seven effects with the
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90 objective of reducing the use of steam in this process [14].

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91 Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse possibilities of heat integration of a vinasse concentration
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92 system and a juice evaporation system into the overall ethanol production process, using several

93 configurations with different number of effects, in order to improve the energy efficiency of the overall
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94 production process and establish the best relation between the utility consumption (operational costs) and the

95 initial cost of investment represented by the number of evaporators (area).

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96 Since its development, in a time of energy crisis in the 1970s, the Pinch Method has become a useful
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97 and effective tool for the integration of streams and energy recovery in production processes, maximizing

98 their energy efficiency [15, 16, 17]. Deserve mention that studies found in the literature, related to heat

99 integration in sugar and ethanol industry, are focused on the integration in a global way, without

100 emphasizing much in the system configuration. The objective of the Pinch Method application in this work is

101 the assessment of the utility reduction (hot and cold) represented by the steam consumption in each one of

102 the plant process [18]. Through the identification of the different process streams for the thermal integration,
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103 the Pinch point method was applied for three selected cases. Moreover, it was possible to evaluate the

104 approximate investment costs using data from [19]. Besides, simulations in the cogeneration system were

105 performed in order to evaluate the impacts in bagasse surplus, when back-pressure steam turbines are

106 assumed, or in the surplus of electricity for selling when electricity production is prioritized through the use

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107 of condensing-extracting steam turbines.

108

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109 2. Conventional ethanol production process

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110 In spite of the great diversity that exists from renewable sources, the environmental and economic

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111 necessity of its use has generated great advances in the technology used in the different processes of
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112 bioethanol production. Fermentation, which is one of the most important processes, has allowed the

113 categorization of three generations of ethanol: the first one uses the fermentation of starches or sugars from
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114 raw materials such as sugar, corn, or beet, among others; the second one is based on the fermentation of a

115 liquor containing hexoses and pentoses produced through the hydrolysis (enzymatic or acid) of
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116 lignocellulosic materials, such as bagasse; and, finally, the third generation based on the use of microalgae
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117 [20, 21].

118 Although there is an obvious importance of the efficient use of available raw materials, there is a great
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119 deal of discussion about the implementation of new technologies, such as the production of second
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120 generation ethanol, because there may be a better use of biomass as fuels in the current cogeneration systems
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121 [22, 23].

122 This study analyses an autonomous distillery that produces only anhydrous ethanol from sugarcane,

123 such as those found in the Brazilian industry, where it is not common to find second-generation distilleries

124 yet, despite being one of the world’s main producers of sugarcane.
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125 The conventional production process of ethanol described in [24] begins with the sugarcane cleaning

126 and preparation, followed by the juice extraction system where the fibrous residue, called bagasse, is

127 obtained. Bagasse is used as fuel for boilers of the cogeneration system.

128 The sugarcane juice is sent to the treatment step in order to separate impurities. The thermal treatment is

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129 followed by a juice concentration step, which is accomplished to remove water and to obtain a juice with an

130 appropriate sucrose content for the fermentation process. It is one of the operations with the highest thermal

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131 energy consumption, thus, it is commonly performed in a multiple-effect evaporator system. This system

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132 usually uses a set of 1 to 5 effects at low pressures in the range of 1.69 to 0.16 bar [18].

133 In some cases, the concentrated juice is sterilized through a thermal treatment, afterwards, it is cooled

134
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down to 32°C for the fermentation process. In the fermentation process, sugars are converted into ethanol,
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135 carbon dioxide and other by-products through a biological process led by yeasts.

The wine obtained in the fermentation has an ethanol content of approximately 6% (mass basis); it is
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136

137 then concentrated in the distillation process to obtain hydrous ethanol, which has an ethanol content of
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138 approximately 93.5%. Two sets of columns are used [8].

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139 Finally, a dehydration process is performed in order to obtain anhydrous ethanol with approximately

140 99.4% of ethanol content. For this process, extractive distillation with monoethylene glycol was assumed.
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141 The vinasse obtained at the bottom of the distillation columns, with a solid content of 2-5% [10], must
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142 have its volume reduced, allowing the recovery of its water content. Several researches indicate its

143 concentration as a mitigation measure, however, this concentration by evaporation consumes a significant
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144 amount of energy.

145 This work performs an evaluation of the heat integration of a juice evaporation system, and a vinasse

146 concentration system in the overall production process. Figure 1a shows a flow sheet of the conventional

147 ethanol production process without an evaporation system, adapted from [7]. Figure 1b shows a flow sheet of

148 the conventional production process including the integration of the juice concentration and the vinasse

149 concentration. Finally, Figure 1c shows a detailed flow sheet where process streams can be identified.
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150

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151 156
152 Figure 1a: General diagram of an ethanol 157 Figure 1b: General diagram of an ethanol
153 production plant from sugarcane without 158 production plant from sugarcane including the
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154 evaporation system. Adapted from [7] 159 integration of juice evaporation and vinasse
160 concentration. Adapted from [7]
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162
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163
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164 Figure 1c: Detailed block diagram of an ethanol production plant from sugarcane. Adapted from [18].
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165
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166 3. Methods

167 With the multiple-effect technology already established in the world, in the Brazilian industry, the main
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168 manufacturers [25, 26, 27] currently offer systems of juice and vinasse concentration that vary from four to
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169 seven effects, reaching a significant reduction in the steam consumption per litre of produced ethanol; some

170 of these systems have been implemented in some plants, such as the Iracema [28] distillery which in 2015 set

171 into operation a seven-effect vinasse concentrator, presented in [29], that concentrates vinasse from an initial

172 Brix of 4% up to 22%.

173 However, based on the consideration of the number of effects in relation to the utility consumption [14],

174 and taking into account that the vinasse concentration systems offered by the manufacturers have a great
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175 number of effects, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of each distillery to analyse whether or not a

176 greater number of evaporators is the most suitable option for an efficient use of steam, establishing the best

177 relation between the operational cost and the initial cost of the investment.

178 With data from the conventional process of ethanol production that were extracted from [7] and adapted

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179 for this work, a considerable amount of simulations were carried out by integrating the juice and vinasse

180 concentrators, establishing different configurations varying the number of effects. Because of the great

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181 amount of information obtained, three cases, which were considered more relevant to present a comparative

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182 analysis, were chosen; among them, the vinasse concentration system with seven effects commonly offered

183 by the manufactures.

184
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The following steps show the evaluated cases, the mass and energy balances in multiple-effect
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185 evaporator systems, the procedure adopted to accomplish the heat integration, and equations to determine the

186 targets of heat exchange area, minimum number of heat exchangers, and costs.
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187
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188 3.1 Evaluated cases

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189 Currently, the Brazilian industry offers juice evaporation systems and vinasse concentration systems

190 with a number of effects greater than five for sugar and ethanol production units. In that scenario, this work
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191 proposes the study of three cases, one taking into account the current industry trends with similar conditions
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192 to those described above (Case 3), and two others which try to optimize the utility consumption (Cases 1and

193 2). Thus, the concentration systems for juice and vinasse were evaluated as presented below.
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194 3.1.1 Case 1

195 This case evaluates the heat integration of a one-effect juice evaporation system and a two-effect

196 vinasse concentration system. The evaporation and concentration systems are presented in Figure 2. For all

197 cases, the juice evaporation system is used to bring the juice from the initial Brix of 15° to 19°, while the

198 vinasse concentration system is used to bring the vinasse from the initial Brix of 2.5° to 25°.
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199 In vinasse concentrator system, the operation parameters for the first effect were established in 4.2 bar

200 and 145.4°C; and for the juice evaporator system, these parameters were established in 2.5 bar and 130°C. In

201 this case, the maximum temperature established for the sugarcane juice was limited to 130°C because of the

202 possible sugar degradation [33].

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203

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204
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205 Figure 2: Two-effect vinasse concentration system and one-effect juice evaporation system - Case 1

206 3.1.2 Case 2

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207 Case 2 evaluates the thermal integration of a two-effect juice evaporation system and a three-effect
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208 vinasse concentration system, presented in Figure 3.

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210

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211 Figure 3: Three-effect vinasse concentration system and two-effect juice evaporation system – Case 2.
212

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213 3.1.3 Case 3
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214 Case 3 evaluates the thermal integration of a two-effect juice evaporation system and a seven-effect

215 vinasse concentration system (according to industry trends), presented in Figure 4.

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216
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217

218 Figure 4: Two-effect juice evaporation system and seven-effect vinasse concentration system – Case 3.
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219
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220 3.2 Mass and energy balances in multiple-effect evaporation systems

221 The simulation of the multiple-effect evaporation system, and its different configurations, was carried

222 out using the Engineering Equation Solver ® - EES [30], with which mass and energy balances were solved

223 based on real data obtained from the literature. The EES software is basically a program for solving algebraic

224 and nonlinear equations numerically. Its most important feature is its database with thermodynamic
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225 properties for hundreds of substances that provides a great advantage in solving problems for engineering

226 applications. Appendix C presents results of this simulation.

227 3.2.1. Juice concentration

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228 Based on [19], the difference in enthalpy for the sugarcane juice with concentrations below the

229 solubility point can be calculated by Equation (1):

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230 ( )
∆hjui = 4.1868− 0.0297* Brixjui + 4.6E−5 * Brixjui * Pzjui *Tjui + 3.75E−5 * Brixjui *Tjui
2
(1)

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231 The initial and final conditions for the juice concentration were established as:

Brixinitial − juice = 15°

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232
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233 Brix final − juice = 19 °
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234 The initial Brix (15°) corresponds to the concentration of clarified juice at the decanter outlet, while the

235 final Brix (19°) is the appropriate concentration for the subsequent fermentation process [18]. An equation
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236 system for each effect of the juice evaporation process was solved including the mass and energy balances.
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237 The general equations are presented in Appendix A.

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238 3.2.2 Vinasse concentration

239 The difference in enthalpy for the vinasse is calculated according to the equations [31]:
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240 ∆ h vinasse = Cp vinasse * T vinasse (2)

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Cpvinasse =
(100 − Brixvinasse ) * Cp  Brixvinasse 
+
241 water  *1.270
100  100 

242 The initial and final conditions for the vinasse concentration were established, such as:

243 Brix initial −vinasse = 2.5°

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244 Brix final − vinasse = 25 °

245 The vinasse initial Brix corresponds to an average value from the literature (2.5°) [32], while the final

246 Brix (25°) corresponds to values informed by manufacturers [25] and some concentration plants in operation

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247 [29]. An equation system for each effect of the vinasse concentration process was established including the

248 mass and energy balances which was solved with the help of the EES software, the general equations are

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249 presented in Appendix B.

250 3.3 Heat integration of processes applying the Pinch Method

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251 In recent years, the heat integration of processes has become one of the most useful tools in thermal

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252 plants; previous assessments that identify the thermal losses in the process streams allow to carry out the
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253 recovering heat integration, as well as allowing the increase of the system energy efficiency [34, 35]. In this

254 work, the integration of a juice evaporation system and a vinasse concentration system was performed. In the
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255 sugar-alcohol industry, the heat integration of some processes [8, 18] represents not only a decrease in the

256 steam consumption, but also a significant reduction of water consumption in the plant [36].
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257 The procedure of heat integration, which basically consists in the evaluation of the streams involved in

258 the processes, the stream integration through the use of the Pinch Method and, finally, the design of the heat
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259 exchanger network; is described in [37] and was adopted with some alterations for this work.

260 Thus, the minimum temperature difference approach (∆Tm) adopted was 10°C for the process streams
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261 and 4°C for the streams of juice evaporation and vinasse concentration systems.
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262 Because of the existence of multiple-effect evaporation systems, [38] and [39] recommend doing the

263 heat integration in steps. In the first step there is the heat integration of process streams excluding the streams

264 of evaporation systems with the construction of a previous Grand Composite Curve (GCC). In the second

265 step, the evaporation systems are integrated in a graphical method (representing them as bars) evaluating an

266 appropriate placement in the GCC. It is done in order to minimize the utility consumption. An appropriate

267 placement of evaporators could permit the total integration without increasing the utility consumption; for
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268 this reason, the integration of multiple-effect evaporation systems must be done in steps and taking into

269 account the overall process.

270 Hence, Table 1 shows the available streams for heat integration in the conventional process without

271 considering the juice and vinasse evaporation systems.

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272 Table 1. Hot and cold process streams adopted for the integration process – Case 1.

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HOT STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H COLD STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H
(°C) (°C) (kW) (°C) (°C) (kW)

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Sterilised juice 130 32 40900 Imbibition water 25 50 4400
Wine 32 28 12200 Juice treatment 34 105 44100
Phlegmasse 103.9 35 2900 Juice pre-heating(1) 98.1 130 17767
Anhydrous ethanol 78.3 35 8600 Final wine 31.2 90 34300

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Condenser - column D 84.9 35 19800 Reboiler - column A 109.3 109.31 44600
Condenser - column B 81.71 81.7 25900 Reboiler - column B 103.8 103.81 21700
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Condenser - extractive Reboiler – extractive
78.31 78.3 7400 134.5 134.51 7200
column column
Vapour condensates (vinasse Reboiler - recovery
145.4 35 25139 149.6 149.61 2500
1) column
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Vapour condensates (vinasse

137.9 35 23682 Vinasse pre-heating(2) 109.3 145.4 18637
2)
Vapour condensates (juice) 130 35 11550
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273 A heat exchanger is considered to preheat the juice(1) before it enters the multiple-effect evaporator. It heats
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274 the juice until the boiling point corresponding to the operation pressure at the first effect of the evaporator
275 system. In the same way, a heat exchanger to preheat the vinasse(2) was assumed.

276
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277 It should be noted that the final temperatures (Tf) for juice pre-heating and vinasse pre-heating are
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278 modified according to the evaluated case and the operating conditions set for multiple-effect evaporators. For
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279 this reason, a slight difference in the GCC shape can be observed in cases 1 and 2.

280 The heat integration of the evaporation systems (juice and vinasse) into the overall process was

281 accomplished through the following procedure:

282 As the first step, the previous GCCs are constructed for each case, which take into account only the

283 process streams without the evaporation systems.

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284 The next step is to evaluate the possibility of an appropriate placement of the multiple-effect

285 evaporators. Using the results of an evaporation simulation, each effect of the evaporation system is

286 represented as a horizontal bar [37], [38], yellow colour was used to represent the vinasse effects and green

287 colour to represent the juice effects.

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288 Deserve mention that several cases and configurations were previously evaluated through this graphical

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289 and analytical procedure in order to carry out a proper assessment of the heat integration. It allowed selecting

290 the most representative configurations, based on the number of effects, which correspond to the cases 1, 2

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291 and 3, thus showing, in a comparative way, the thermal and economic advantages that are present with the

292 appropriate use of the available utilities.

293
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Figures 5a and 5b show the previous GCCs and the appropriate placement of evaporators for Cases 1
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294 and 2.
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295
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296 300
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297 301

298 Figure 5a: Appropriate placement for juice and 302 Figure 5b: Appropriate placement for juice and
299 vinasse evaporators in the GCC – Case 1. 303 vinasse evaporators in the GCC – Case 2.
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304

305 Figures 6a and 6b show the previous GCC and the evaporation effects for Case 3. This case assumed the

306 conventional pressure levels in multiple-effect evaporators for sugarcane juice. As observed in Fig. 6a, an

307 appropriate placement of evaporators is not possible. It should be noticed that the insertion of evaporators

308 with these operating conditions displaces the GCC (Figure 6b), which increases the utility consumption

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309 (Notice in these figures that the vinasse evaporator bar overlaps the juice evaporator’s in the first and second

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310 effect).

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312 316
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313 Figure 6a: Location of the evaporators and

317 Figure 6b: Location of the evaporators and
314 concentrators in the process GCC.
315 318 concentrators in the process GCC (displaced
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319 GCC)
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320

321 Finally, the evaporator streams are inserted in the GCC in order to determine the targets of minimum

322 energy consumption according to the Pinch Method. Tables C.1, C.2 and C.3 in the Appendix C show the

323 complete list of streams for each case.

324
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325 3.4 Heat exchange area targets

326 The heat exchange area targets were determined using the following equation according to [38].

Qk
327 Ak = (3)
U * ∆TLM * FT

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328 The equation (3) is applied for each interval k defined by the temperatures where the logarithmic mean

329 temperature difference (∆TLM) is obtained, and the difference in enthalpy is given by Qk. The total area for

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330 the integration system is obtained with the sum of calculated areas.

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331

332 3.5 Minimum number of heat exchanger units

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333 The minimum number of heat exchanger units is calculated [38].

334 Nunits =(SAbove -1)+(SBelow -1) (4)

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min Pinch Pinch

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336 3.6 Total cost target for the heat exchanger network

337 An approximate economic assessment was accomplished to estimate and compare investment and
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338 operational costs for the heat exchanger network, for the three evaluated cases, based on technical and

339 economic aspects to identify the best option.

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340 The investment cost target considers only the heat exchanger network and it was obtained through the

341 heat exchange area target and reference costs for heat exchangers reported by [38]. The procedure was

342 adopted from [38], and the data applied to determine the investment cost was adopted from [39]. The

343 investment cost target is an estimate that considers the heat exchange in counter current for all of the streams

344 adopted for thermal integration. Finally, the total investment cost target for each case is annualized, using the

345 data from Table 2, and is presented in the results section.

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346 On the other hand, the operational cost target considers only the utility consumption when comparing

347 the studied cases. For instance, for calculation of heating steam (hot utility), the procedure adopted is

348 presented in [8] and [32], this procedure takes into account the sugarcane and boiler costs to obtain unitary

349 costs of bagasse and steam. Because different cases use hot utility at different pressure levels (steam at

350 2.5 bar and 6 bar), the unitary monetary costs of streams were allocated proportionally to their exergy.

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351 Table 2 shows the data adopted from [8] and used for calculations. This method was selected to allocate the

352 utility costs and, in this way, estimate the operational costs related to hot utility.

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353

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354 Table 2: Data for the determination of monetary costs [8, 32].

Parameter Value

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Boiler capital cost (106 US$) 19.7
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Sugarcane production cost (US$/t) 29.4
Specific exergy of bagasse (kJ/kg) 9885
Specific exergy of sugarcane (kJ/kg) 5695
Annual interest rate, i (%) 15
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Equipment useful life, j (years) 25

Factory operation hours per year 4000

355
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356 The investment values adopted from [39] were updated to the present day. The operational and

357 investment costs for each case are presented in the results.
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358
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359 3.7 Cogeneration system

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360 Two configurations of cogeneration systems were evaluated in this work. The first case (Configuration

361 I) assumes a steam cycle with back-pressure steam turbines where the boiler only produces the steam

362 necessary to cover the process consumption and auxiliary devices in the cogeneration, like the deaerator; in

363 this case, there is a bagasse surplus. On the other hand, the second case (Configuration II) assumes a steam

364 cycle with condensing-extracting steam turbines. In this case, the boiler burns all the available bagasse -

365 deducting bagasse for filters (5 kg/t cane) and bagasse reserve (5%) for start-up operations. The surplus
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366 steam generated in the boiler passes through a low-pressure steam turbine in order to maximise the electricity

367 production. For both configurations, it was assumed that mills and preparation devices are driven by electric

368 motors.

369 Figure 7 shows the scheme of the cogeneration system for Configurations I and II. It can be indicated

370 that for the thermal integration of Case 3 an additional extraction in steam turbine is assumed, since steam

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371 consumption at 2.5 bar and 6 bar was assumed, while Cases 1 and 2 use only steam at 6 bar. The pressure

372 level of the hot utility (extraction of steam) is determined from the final Grand Composite Curve for each

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373 case which must include the streams of the evaporation systems.

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374

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375

Figure 7: Scheme of cogeneration system – Configuration I and II

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376
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377 Table 3 shows the main parameters adopted for the cogeneration simulation. Electricity surplus is

378 calculated from the net power of steam cycle deducting the electric power demand of the ethanol process and

379 the power demand of the cane preparation and extraction system. Mass and energy balances of cogeneration

380 systems were solved also using EES software [30]

381

382 Table 3: Main specifications in cogeneration system [8]

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Cogeneration system
Pressure of boiler steam outlet, bar 67
Temperature of boiler steam outlet, °C 480
Isentropic efficiency of electricity-generating steam turbines, % 88
Alternator efficiency of turbine generator, % 97.6
Turbine mechanical efficiency, % 98.2
Pump isentropic efficiency, % 60
Boiler thermal efficiency, % (LHV base) 86

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Mechanical power demand of cane preparation and extraction system, 16
kWh/t of cane
Electric power demand of ethanol process, kWh/t of cane 12
383

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384 4. Results

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385 Figure 8 shows the final GCC including the streams of the concentration systems. In Cases 1 and 2, the

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386 integration of multiple-effect evaporators above the Pinch point can be observed with an appropriate
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387 placement of the evaporators into the GCC (being the integration partial in Case 1 and complete in Case 2).

388 This placement allows the integration of the evaporator systems without a significant increase in the hot
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389 utility consumption. Analysing Figures 8, 5a and 5b, some issues deserve mention; in both of these cases

390 (Conf. 1 and 2), the first effect of the vinasse concentrator receives the heat input from hot utility. One part
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391 of the vapour generated at the last effect of this vinasse concentration system (2nd effect in Case 1, and 3rd
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392 effect in Case 2) supplies the heat input to the first effect of the juice evaporation system. It must be noticed

393 that the rest of the vapour from the 2nd effect is dissipated through cold utility in Case 1; while in Case 2, the
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394 rest of the vapour from the 3rd effect is used to cover part of the process heat demand. In this way, Case 2

395 presents a better integration (appropriate placement) in comparison to Case 1 (partial integration of the
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396 vinasse concentrator). Regarding the juice evaporation system, all the vapour generated at the 1st effect of
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397 Case 1, as well as the vapour generated at the 2nd effect in Case 2, is used to cover part of the heat demand of

398 the process.

399 On the other hand, in Case 3, an appropriate placement of the evaporators was not possible because of

400 the pressure levels assumed. Consequently, the consumption of hot utilities in this case was significantly

401 higher.
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402 405

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403 406
404 Case 1
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407 Case 2
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408

409 Case 3

410 Figure 8: Final GCC with integration of evaporators and concentrators

411 Figure 9 shows the CCs and the intervals assumed to determine the area targets. It can be noticed that

412 for these targets the total exchanged heat was considered. Thus, it includes the heat recovery, exchanged

413 between process streams; and the heat supplied by utilities (hot and cold), as can be seen in Table 4. From
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414 cases 1 and 2, which are well integrated, the average temperature difference is small. As a consequence, the

415 areas of these heat exchangers are larger in comparison with the heat exchangers for hot utility. On the other

416 hand, although the Case 3 has a larger hot utility consumption, its area target resulted in a lower value, when

417 compared to cases 1 and 2. This happens because the cold streams, heated by hot utility, present a high

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418 average temperature difference, hence, Case 3 presents the lowest cost of investment.

419

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420 423
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421 Case 1 424 Case 2

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422
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425

426 Case 3

427 Figure 9: Final CC with integration of evaporators and concentrators

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428 Table 4 shows the targets of utilities, area, minimum number of units and investment cost for the three

429 cases.

430 Table 4. Targets of minimum energy requirement, area, and costs for each case.

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ENERGY TARGETS AREA Nmin
(MW) (m2) Inv. Cost Ope. Cost Total Cost
HOT COLD (106)US$/year (106)US$/year (106)US$/year
UTILITY UTILITY

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Case 1 133.6 120.1 51976 27 0.86 23.36 24.22
Case 2 96.3 81.7 57266 31 0.96 17.73 18.69

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Case 3 150.5 125.2 36712 40 0.83 25.73 26.56
431

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432 Thus, from mass and energy balances in concentration systems, heat integration procedure, and target
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433 calculation; it is possible to choose the best case in terms of total cost, for the hypotheses assumed.

434 Table 5 shows the main results from cogeneration simulation. In Configuration I, the lowest steam
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435 consumption corresponds to Case 2, which produces the lowest electricity for sale, while having the highest
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436 bagasse surplus. The bagasse surplus for Case 2 represents 42% of the bagasse produced in the extraction

437 system (it was assumed a bagasse production in the mills of 276.6 kg/t cane). This result is very interesting,
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438 considering that bagasse could be another product of the plant or, moreover, it could be used to produce
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439 second-generation ethanol. On the other hand, Case 3 presented the highest steam consumption and surplus

440 electricity for sale, however, the bagasse surplus was only 17% of the total bagasse produced.
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441 Regarding Configuration II, it can be seen that the cases with the lowest process steam consumption
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442 present the highest electricity surplus for sale. Moreover, a significant increase in electricity surplus takes

443 place, in comparison to Configuration I; for instance, for Case 2, the electricity surplus was 4 times higher.

444

445
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446 Table 5. Results of cogeneration simulation - Electricity surplus for sale and bagasse surplus

Configuration II
Configuration I
(Condensing-extracting steam
Steam (Back-pressure steam turbines)
turbines)
consumption
Electricity surplus Electricity surplus Bagasse
Bagasse surplus
for sale for sale surplus

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kWh/t kg/t kWh/t
kg/t cane MW kg/s MW kg/s
cane cane cane
Case 1 461.4 (a) 17.1 34.3 9.6 69.1 38.6 77.2 0

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(a)
Case 2 344.6 9.2 18.5 16.2 116.6 45.7 91.3 0
(b)
Case 3 450 / 49 29.5 59 6.5 46.8 44.1 88.2 0
447 (a) Steam consumption at 6 bar; (b) Consumption of 450 kg of steam/t cane at 2.5 bar and 49 kg of steam/t cane at

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448 6 bar.

449 As far as the pressure level of steam consumption is concerned, Cases 1 and 2, for both configurations of the

450
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cogeneration system, present steam consumption at only 6 bar; it is a consequence of the operation
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451 temperature assumed in the 1st effect of vinasse concentrator, which was 145.4°C in Case 1 and 152.6°C in

452 Case 2. On the other hand, Case 3, which considers the traditional levels of heating steam in juice and
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453 vinasse evaporators, presents steam consumption at two levels (2.5 bar and 6 bar); in this case, the steam
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454 consumption at 6 bar is related to must sterilization and dehydration stages. The selection of appropriate
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455 temperature levels for hot and cold utilities can be done by evaluating the profile of the GCC in each case

456 (Figure 8), which shows the importance of this graphical tool to select utilities and integrate cogeneration
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457 systems.

458 Concerning vinasse concentration, it promotes a significant reduction of volume – approximately 90% with
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459 the hypotheses assumed in this study - which leads to important savings when transport and application costs
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460 in the sugarcane irrigation are taken into account. For instance, a mill that produces 1,020 m3 of ethanol per

461 day (42.5 m3/h) produces 15,300 m3 of vinasse per day, equivalent to 2.55x106 m3/year. Taking into account

462 the transport and application costs from Cruz [40], and the average distance application of 12 km reported by

463 [29]; the annual saving for the study case can be calculated, which results in 1.42 million of US$/year.

464
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465 5. Sensitivity analysis

466 With the objective of highlighting the effect of the minimum temperature difference (∆Tm) as the most

467 important variable in the use of the Pinch method, used for the thermal integration process of the juice

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468 evaporation and vinasse concentration systems; a sensitivity analysis that includes technical and economic

469 aspects was made in this paper.

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470 Taking into account the ∆Tm=10°C adopted for the process streams in this work, the proposed

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471 sensitivity analysis evaluates a variation between 5°C and 15°C, as it is possible to observe in Figure 10a,

472 which shows, in a comparative way, the consumption of the hot utilities in each case; where the Case 2 offers

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473 a greater saving as it has been presented previously.
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474 Although the use of a low ∆Tm (5°C) can represent a lower utility consumption, its use is inconvenient

475 when additional technical aspects are considered; such as the heat exchange area, which is excessive as
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476 shown in Figure 10b, for the Case 2. In addition, in the economic aspect, when comparing operating and

477 investment costs, the best scenario offered in this case is given by a ∆Tm=10°C, as shown in Figure 10c.
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478
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479 482
480 Figure 10a: Minimum Hot Utility for all cases in
481 function to ∆Tmin 483 Figure 10b: Sensitivity analysis - Case2

484
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485

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486

487 Figure 10c: Economic sensitivity analysis – Case 2

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488 6. Conclusion
489 The current Brazilian industry offers systems with a high number of effects for juice and vinasse
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490 evaporation (for instance, 7 effects in the case of vinasse concentration). It is done according to traditional

491 systems in the sugar and beet industry, however, a high number of effects may not be the optimal solution. In
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492 addition, these two systems (juice and vinasse) use utilities separately without any type of thermal
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493 integration, which increases the thermal losses and decreases the energy efficiency of the system. Therefore,

494 it is necessary to project the integration of these concentration systems taking into account the overall
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495 process and their respective energy consumption and economic aspect.
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496 From the energy assessment, based only in the final GCC, it can be seen that the Case 2 offers a better
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497 use of steam. Taking into consideration that the heating requirements need high-pressure steam, an

498 appropriate arrangement may offer the possibility of a better use of steam. Additionally, it is possible to

499 observe in this case (Case 2), as well as in the first one (Case 1), that the concentration of vinasse at high

500 temperature, using high-pressure steam, allows the use of energy in juice concentration to be optimized by

501 positioning the evaporators at temperatures that do not degrade the quality of the sugars, thus allowing this

502 type of configurations to be used in plants that produce both sugar and ethanol.
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503 For Case 3, the assessment of evaporation systems was done at standard conditions of pressure adopted

504 in sugarcane plants, thus, an additional hot utility consumption of around 50 MW, in comparison to Case 2,

505 was observed. Thereby, besides having difficulties integrating the evaporators into the global process; Case 3

506 has additional operational costs, as well as a greater difficulty in operation owing to the number of effects.

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507 As Case 1 concerns, the hot utility consumption was 39% higher than Case 2, but 13% lower than Case 3.

508 Therefore, Case 2 presented the best results in terms of energy consumption and operational cost; however,

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509 the targets of heat exchange area and investment cost were higher when compared to the others

configurations.

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510

511 When the investment cost, based on the heat exchange area, is analysed; Case 3 has the smallest area;

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512 though, it is the worst option regarding energy recovery. Taking into account that the plants are different
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513 from each other, a correct analysis of the system integration, based on the operating parameters, allows the

514 best use of the utilities to be found, and the establishment of the best relation between investment and
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515 operation costs.

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516 The assessment of operational costs was performed based on the complete system, obtaining different
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517 results when the evaluation is only limited to the evaporator and concentrator systems, with Case 1 having

518 the highest operational costs. This allows us to observe the need to analyse the plant in an integrated way,
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519 identifying thermal losses in the different system streams; and, through the use of appropriate methodologies

520 such as the Pinch Method, optimisation of the use of utilities.

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521 Regarding the cogeneration system, Case 2 presented the lowest electricity surplus when back-pressure
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522 steam turbines were assumed (9.2 MW), and reached the highest value (45.7 MW) when considering

523 condensing-extracting steam turbines. The electricity surplus using back-pressure steam turbines resulted in

524 17.1 MW (34.3 kWh/t cane) for Case 1, and 9.2 MW (18.5 kWh/t cane) for Case 2; while for Case 3 the

525 result was significantly higher (29.5 MW) because of the highest steam consumption. On the other hand,

526 when assuming condensing-extracting steam turbines, the electricity surplus resulted in the range from 38 to

527 46 MW (77 to 92 kWh/t cane).

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528

529 Nomenclature

530
Area [m2]

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A Zሶ Investment cost [US$/h]

Brix Dissolved solids (sugars and others) in ∆TLM Logarithmic mean temperature difference

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aqueous solution ∆H Enthalpy Variation [kJ/kg]

c Monetary cost per unit of exergy [US$/kJ]

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C Monetary cost [US$/year] Greek symbols

CC Composite curve

Cp Specific heat [kJ/kg K] ξ

U Amortization factor [s-1]
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ex Specific exergy [kJ/kg] i Annual interest rate

E Equipment cost [US$] τ Factory operation, hours per year

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FT Correction factor
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GCC Grand composite curve Subscripts

HS Heating Steam
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HC Heating Condensed b Boiler

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mሶ Mass flow rate [kg/s] bag Bagasse

N Number of units f Final

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Pz Purity – indicate the amount of sucrose in hsi Hot steam inlet

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relation to the total dissolved solids [%] hso Hot steam outlet

Q Available Heat [kJ/kg] i Initial

S Number of streams including utilities isd Solids inlet

SP Steam Produced ji Juice inlet

Ti Temperature [°C] jo Juice outlet

U Overall heat transfer coefficient [W/m2·°C] jui Juice

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k Interval vi Vinasse inlet

m Minimum vo Vinasse outlet

osd Solids outlet w Water

sd Solids
531

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st Steam
532
vin Vinasse

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533 References

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534 [1] Renewable Fuels Association. Annual Ethanol Industry Outlook. Retrieved from:

535 http://ethanolrfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ethanol-Industry-Outlook-2017.pdf 2017 Accessed in

536 20/03/2017.
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537 [2] Gupta, A., & Verma, J. P. Sustainable bio-ethanol production from agro-residues: a review. Renewable

538 and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 41 (2015), 550-567.

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539 [3] BEN – Balanço Energético Nacional (Brazilian Energy Balance), Energy Research Office (EPE), Final
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540 report 2016: Rio de Janeiro: EPE, 2016 (In Portuguese).

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542 vinasse: environmental implications of its use. Waste Management, 33(12) (2013), 2752-2761.

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544 Marmolejo, E. N., Dendooven, L., & Contreras-Ramos, S. M. Utilization of vinasses as soil
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546 [6] Dias, M. O., Ensinas, A. V., Nebra, S. A., Maciel Filho, R., Rossell, C. E., & Maciel, M. R. W.

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550 [7] Palacios Bereche, R., Adriano Viana Ensinas, Marcelo Modesto, Silvia A. Nebra. Mechanical vapour

551 recompression incorporated to the ethanol production from sugarcane and thermal integration to the

552 overall process applying pinch analysis. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2014; vol. 39, p. 397-402.
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553 [8] Palacios Bereche, R., Modesto, M., Ensinas, A. V., Nebra, S. A., Double-effect distillation and thermal

554 integration applied to the ethanol production process, Energy, 82 (2015), pp. 512–523.

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557 Separation and Purification Technology, 136 (2014), pp. 144-149.

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559 Brazilian Congress of Mechanical Engineering. COBEM (2011).

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561 biocommodities.com/freedownload/de/vb_evaporation_technology_en.pdf Accessed in 20-03-2017.

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562 [12] GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft - Evaporation Technology.

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564 Accessed in 25/03/2017.

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565 [13] Veolia Water Technologies - Water and wastewater treatment. http://www.veoliawatertech.com/vwt-

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567 [14] Albers, M. Tratamento da Vinhaça: Concentração e outros. In Workshop Tecnológico sobre Vinhaça.
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568 Projeto Políticas Públicas FAPESP. Realizado em (Vol. 10, No. 10, p. 2007). (In Portuguese).

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570 Engineering, 65(1) (2014), 458-468.

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572 process with cost targets. Applied Thermal Engineering, 31(14) (2011), 2665-2675.
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573 [17] Tan, Y. L., Ng, D. K., El-Halwagi, M. M., Foo, D. C., & Samyudia, Y. Floating pinch method for

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579 Energy, 2015, in press.

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580 [19] Ensinas, A. V. Thermal Integration and Thermoeconomic Optimization Applied to the Production

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584 improving the production of bio-ethanol. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 47 (2015), 60-

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586 [21] Dragone, G., Fernandes, B. D., Vicente, A. A., & Teixeira, J. A. Third generation biofuels from

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588 biotechnology, 2 (2010), 1355-1366.

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589 [22] Dias, M. O., Junqueira, T. L., Cavalett, O., Cunha, M. P., Jesus, C. D., Mantelatto, P. E., ... & Bonomi,

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592 [23] Dias, M. O., Junqueira, T. L., Rossell, C. E. V., Maciel Filho, R., & Bonomi, A. Evaluation of process

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594 sugarcane. Fuel Processing Technology, 109 (2013), 84-89.

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607 [29] STAB - Sociedade dos Técnicos Açucareiros e Alcooleiros do Brasil. 16º SBA - Usina da Recuperação.

608 Available in: http://www.stab.org.br/16sba/palestras/carlos_eduardo.pdf (2015).

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611 University of Technology; 2014.

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613 involving process and environmental aspects. Renewable Energy 96 (2016), pp. 1142 – 1152.

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614

615 [34] Rašković, P., Anastasovski, A., Markovska, L., & Meško, V. Process integration in bioprocess industry:

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616 waste heat recovery in yeast and ethyl alcohol plant. Energy, 35(2) (2010), 704-717.

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618 straw–A case study. Applied energy, 102 (2013), 32-43.

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621 554
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622 [37] Klemes J, Friedler F, Bulatov I, Varbanov P. Sustainability in the process industry. 1st ed. McGraw-Hill

623 Professional, United States of America; 2011.

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624 [38] Smith R., Chemical Process: Design and Integration. Centre for Process Integration, School of Chemical

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627 sugar cane factories using a thermoeconomic optimization procedure. Int J Thermodyn 2007;10:97e105.

628 [40] Cruz L.F.L.S. Techno-economic-environmental feasibility of current ways to use of vinasse in Sao

629 Paulo State in Brazil. Master these. Engineering School of São Carlos. University of São Carlos. SP,

630 2011 [In Portuguese].

631
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632 Acknowledgments

633 The authors wish to thank to CAPES and CNPq (Process PQ 306303/2014-0) for the researcher fellowship,

634 and FAPESP for the Research Project Grant (Process 2011/51902-9).

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635 Appendix A

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• •
636 mhsi = mhso (10)

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• • •
637 m ji = m ps + m jo (11)

• •

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638 m isd = m osd (12)
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• • Brix
639 m sd = m jui * jui
(13)
100
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640 The equations (10), (11), (12) and (13) for the juice evaporation system show the mass balance in each effect
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641 for the heating steam, juice flow, solid flow, and solids calculation respectively.
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• • •
642 Qst + (m ji * hji ) = (m ps * hps ) + (m jo * hjo ) (14)
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• •
643 Qst = (mhsi* hhsi ) − (mhso* hhso ) (15)
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644 The equations (14) and (15) show the energy balance in each effect.
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645
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646 Appendix B

• •
647 mhsi = mhso (16)

• • •
m vi = m ps + m vo (17)

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648

• •
m isd = m osd

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649 (18)

• • Brix vin
m sd = m vin *

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650 (19)
100

651 The equations (16), (17), (18) and (19), for the vinasse concentration system, show the mass balance in each

652
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effect for the heating steam, juice flow, solid flow and solids calculation respectively.
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• • •
653 Q + (mvi * hvi ) = (m ps * hps ) + (mvo* hvo ) (20)
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• •
654 Qst = (mhsi* hhsi ) − (mhso* hhso ) (21)
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655 The equations (20) and (21) show the energy balance in each effect.

656 It was assumed that vinasse is sent directly from the distillation step to the concentration system.
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657
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658 Appendix C

659 Table C.1. Integration of the evaporator and concentrator streams in the process for Case 1

HOT STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H COLD STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H

(°C) (°C) (kW) (°C) (°C) (kW)

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Sterilized juice 130 32 40900 Imbibition water 25 50 4400
Wine 32 28 12200 Juice treatment 34 105 44100
Phlegmasse 103.9 35 2900 Juice pre-heating 98.1 130 17767

RI
Anhydrous ethanol 78.3 35 8600 Final wine 31.2 90 34300
Condenser - column D 84.9 35 19800 Reboiler - column A 109.3 109.31 44600
Condenser - column B 81.71 81.7 25900 Reboiler - column B 103.8 103.81 21700

SC
Condenser - extractive column 78.31 78.3 7400 Reboiler – extractive column 134.5 134.51 7200
Vapour condensates (vinasse 1) 145.4 35 25139 Reboiler - recovery column 149.6 149.61 2500
Vapour condensates (vinasse 2) 137.9 35 23682 Vinasse pre-heating 109.3 145.4 18637
Vapour condensates (juice) 130 35 11550 Vinasse 1st effect 145.4 145.41 117526

U
VV Vinasse 1st effect 145.4 145.39 118402 Vinasse 2o effect 137.9 137.91 118402
VV Vinasse 2nd effect 137.9 137.89 121153 st
Juice 1 effect 130 130.1 64826
AN
VV Juice 1st effect 130 129.9 64763
660

Table C.2. Integration of the evaporator and concentrator streams in the process for Case 2
M

661

HOT STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H COLD STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H

D

(°C) (°C) (kW) (°C) (°C) (kW)

Sterilized juice 130 32 40900 Imbibition water 25 50 4400
TE

Wine 32 28 12200 Juice treatment 34 105 44100

Phlegmasse 103.9 35 2900 Juice pre-heating 98.1 126.1 15594
Anhydrous ethanol 78.3 35 8600 Juice for sterilization 116.9 130 5751
Condenser - column D 84.9 35 19800 Final wine 31.2 90 34300
EP

Condenser - column B 81.71 81.7 25900 Reboiler - column A 109.3 109.31 44600
Condenser - extractive column 78.31 78.3 7400 Reboiler - column B 103.8 103.81 21700
Vapour condensates (vinasse) 138.9 35 47546 Reboiler – extractive column 134.5 134.51 7200
Vapour condensates (juice) 120.2 35 10348 Reboiler - recovery column 149.6 149.61 2500
C

Vinasse pre-heating 109.3 152.6 22354

VV Vinasse 1st effect 152.61 152.6 76751 Vinasse 1st effect 152.6 152.61 75986
AC

VV Vinasse 2nd effect 146.31 146.3 79702 Vinasse 2nd effect 146.3 146.31 76751
VV Vinasse 3rd effect 138.91 138.9 85004 Vinasse 3rd effect 138.9 138.91 79702
VV Juice 1st effect 126.12 126.1 31228 Juice 1st effect 126.1 126.12 31254
VV Juice 2nd effect 120.21 120.2 34481 Juice 2nd effect 120.2 120.21 31228
662

663 Table C.3. Integration of the evaporator and concentrator streams in the process for Case 3

HOT STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H COLD STREAMS Ti Tf ∆H

(°C) (°C) (kW) (°C) (°C) (kW)
Sterilized juice 130 32 40900 Imbibition water 25 50 4400
Wine 32 28 12200 Juice treatment 34 105 44100
 37
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Phlegmasse 103.9 35 2900 Juice pre-heating 98.1 115 9412

Anhydrous ethanol 78.3 35 8600 Juice for sterilization 104.8 130 11062
Vapour condensates juice 115 35 4652 Final wine 31.2 90 34300
Vapour condensates vinasse 98.88 35 10977 Reboiler - column A 109.3 109.31 44600
Condenser - column D 84.9 35 19800 Reboiler - column B 103.8 103.81 21700
Condenser - column B 81.71 81.7 25900 Reboiler – extractive column 134.5 134.51 7200
Condenser - extractive column 78.31 78.3 7400 Reboiler - recovery column 149.6 149.61 2500
Vinasse pre-heating 109.3 115 2943

PT
VV Vinasse 1st effect 115.1 115 25873 Vinasse 1st effect 115 115.1 25611
VV Vinasse 2nd effect 104.81 104.8 30808 Vinasse 2nd effect 104.8 104.81 25873
VV Juice 1st effect 115.1 115 30703 Juice 1st effect 115 115.1 30718

RI
VV Juice 2nd effect 104.81 104.8 35759 Juice 2nd effect 104.8 104.81 30703
VV Vinasse 3rd effect 95.16 95.15 34859 Vinasse 3rd effect 95.15 95.16 30808
VV Vinasse 4th effect 85.96 85.95 38076 Vinasse 4th effect 85.95 85.96 34859
VV Vinasse 5th effect 75.89 75.88 40842 Vinasse 5th effect 75.88 75.89 38076

SC
VV Vinasse 6th effect 64.99 64.98 43000 Vinasse 6th effect 64.98 64.99 40842
VV Vinasse 7th effect 55.34 55.33 44163 Vinasse 7th effect 55.33 55.34 43000
664

665
U
Table C.4. Results of energy and mass balance in juice and vinasse concentration – Case 1
AN
STAGE PRESSURE (bar) TEMPERATURE (°C) HEAT (kW)
Juice 1 2.7 130 64826
M

Vinasse 1 4.2 145.4 117526

Vinasse 2 3.4 137.9 118402
Pressure of heating steam at 1st effect: 6 bar
D

666
TE

667 Table C.5. Results of energy and mass balance in juice and vinasse concentration – Case 2

STAGE PRESSURE (bar) TEMPERATURE (°C) HEAT (kW)

EP

Juice 1 2.4 126.1 31254

Juice 2 2 120.2 31228
Vinasse 1 5.1 152.6 75986
Vinasse 2 4.3 146.3 76751
C

Vinasse 3 3.5 138.9 79702

Pressure of heating steam at 1st effect: 6 bar
AC

668

669 Table C.6. Results of energy and mass balance in juice and vinasse concentration – Case 3

STAGE PRESSURE (bar) TEMPERATURE (°C) HEAT (kW)

Juice 1 1.69 115 30718
Juice 2 1.2 104.8 30703
Vinasse 1 1.69 115 25611
Vinasse 2 1.2 104.8 25873
Vinasse 3 0.85 95.15 30808
Vinasse 4 0.6 85.95 34859
 38
ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Vinasse 5 0.4 75.88 38076

Vinasse 6 0.25 64.98 40842
Vinasse 7 0.16 55.33 43000
Pressure of heating steam at 1st effect: 2.5 bar
670

PT
RI
U SC
AN
M
D
TE
C EP
AC