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Evaluating the performance of falling-film

evaporator configuration with low steam
consumption

Dr Omkar Thaval
BMA Braunschweigische Maschinenbauanstalt AG, Germany
omkar.thaval@bma-de.com

Webinar presentation – Thursday, August 27, 2020

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Speaker

Dr Omkar Thaval
Senior Technologist
Engineering Department at BMA AG

Without explanations, the information in this document is incomplete.

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Introduction

■ Falling-film evaporators have gained attention in the cane sugar industry

A B C

■ The evaporator station at ICPL sugar mill in India comprises of seven BMA-type falling-film
evaporators
● Initial crushing rate – 6000 TCD; Final crushing rate – 9000 TCD
● Initial steam consumption – 36% on cane; Final steam consumption – 32% on cane*
■ An evaluation of the station performance was undertaken by BMA in December 2019
● After seven crushing seasons in operation
*Reference: Brahim F, Lehnberger A, Mallikarjun SS, Nasim R, Shafaqat Ali Shah S.: Further reduction of steam demand at modern cane sugar mills.
International Sugar Journal 120: 688 – 696.

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Evaluation focuses:

■ A – Heat-transfer coefficient
● Of individual effects
■ B – The effect of scaling on heat-transfer performance of FFE-1
● Scale formation as a function of time
● Rate of decline in measured heat-transfer coefficient
■ C – Exhaust steam consumption
● Exhaust steam pressure
● Average exhaust steam consumption (38 days)

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Design features of BMA falling-film evaporator
Emergency water
■ Minimum interfacing of incoming low brix juice and
outgoing high brix juice Heating steam Non -condensables

■ Optimum juice distribution

■ Efficient juice and vapour separation via droplet separator

(Louvres); minimal pressure drop

■ Easy access to juice distributor area for cleaning

Non -condensables
Condensate

■ Low footprint of the vessel Vapour outlet

Juice inlet
Juice outlet
Juice circulation

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Falling-film evaporators at ICPL, India

■ First phase installation (2011)

● Five BMA-type FFEs
● Old evaporators as standby effects
■ Second phase installation (2012)
● 2 additional BMA-type FFE as standby effects
■ Cleaning intervals
● FFE-1 after 30 – 40 days
● FFE-2 after 30 – 40 days
● FFE-3 after 14 – 18 days
● FFE-4 after 14 – 18 days
● FFE-5 after 7 – 10 days

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Evaporator station operating conditions

■ Vapour bleeding scheme

■ Average values from period between 13 – 22 December 2019

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Experimental program

■ Data collection
■ 13 – 22 December 2019 (week 50 and 51)
■ Composite samples of clear juice (ESJ) and outlet of each FFE over 2 hours
■ 24 samples in morning and afternoon shifts (192 samples total)
■ Transferred to 500 mL bottle and stored at -20 °C
■ Each sample was analysed for brix, pol and purity
■ The flowrate of clear juice, the calandria and vapour pressures, exhaust
steam condensate flow measured from the DCS.

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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Operating setup
Freitag, 13. Dezember 2019

FFE-5B

FFE-5A

FFE-4B
Evaporators

FFE-4A

FFE-3

FFE-2

FFE-1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Days of operation since last clean

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A – Heat-transfer coefficients (HTC)

■ HTC of FFE-1 and FFE-2 are

consistently high
■ Over 25 days in operation since
last clean

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A – Heat-transfer coefficients (HTC)

■ HTC of FFE-3 was as expected

■ Over 10 days in operation since
last clean
■ Inefficient removal of non-
condensable gases

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A – Heat-transfer coefficients (HTC)
■ HTC of FFE-4 was lower than
expected
■ Inefficient removal of non-
condensable gases

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A – Heat-transfer coefficients (HTC)

■ HTC of FFE-5 was appreciably

high
■ Clean effect was 1450 W/m2/K
@ 6 °K temperature difference

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B - Effect of scaling on heat-transfer performance of FFE-1

■ Scale build-up on heat transfer surface ■ Scale is an additional thermal resistance to the
■ Scale in tubes of falling-film evaporators * heat flow from steam/vapour to juice
■ Approach: scale grows linear with the
processing time
● At steady processing conditions
● With a specific scaling factor for each
evaporation effect



   
 
 λ

■ Linear function for the thermal resistance with

the variable “time” allows linear plot and
extrapolation

*Reference: Lehnberger, A.; Brahim, F.; Mallikarjun, S. S (2013) Falling film evaporation plant for a cane sugar factory: Presentation of the concept and
operating results. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, (28), electronic media.

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B – Measured heat-transfer coefficient for FFE-1

■ Measured HTC – DCS

data
■ Measured HTC – Test
program
■ High heat-transfer
coefficient with clean
conditions
■ Reduction in heat-
transfer coefficient with
time due to scaling
■ However, the effect of
reduced heat-transfer
coefficient on juice
processing capacity is
minimal

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B – Measured heat-transfer coefficient for FFE-1

■ Measured HTC – DCS

data
■ Measured HTC – Test
program
■ High heat-transfer
coefficient with clean
conditions
■ Reduction in heat-
transfer coefficient with
time due to scaling
■ However, the effect of
reduced heat-transfer
coefficient on juice
processing capacity is
minimal

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C – Exhaust steam consumption

■ Increase in exhaust steam pressure

■ Average steam consumption – 32 %

■ Over a period of 38 days

■ Scale formation and reduction in HTC

has minimal impact on steam
consumption.

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Summary and conclusion

■ A – Heat-transfer coefficient
● Consistently high HTC with over 5 weeks in operation for FFE-1 and FFE-2
● HTC of FFE-5 immediately after a clean was 1450 W/m2/K with ΔT of 6 °C
■ B – Effect of scaling on heat-transfer performance of FFE-1
● Scale formation theory with linear scale build up with time (ICPL data)
● Measured HTC from DCS over period of 6 weeks
● Increase in exhaust steam pressure and FFE-1 vapour pressure (increase in ΔT) to
maintain juice processing rate

■ C – Exhaust steam consumption

● Increase in exhaust steam pressure over six weeks (1.5 to 2.3 bar abs)
● Average steam consumption over six weeks was 32 % on cane.
● Scale formation and reduction in HTC have minimal impact on steam consumption

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Acknowledgements

■ Staff of ICPL sugar mill, India

● Support during the experimental program
● Discussions with the results

■ BMA colleagues
● Research and Development department
● Engineering department
● Sales & Marketing department

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 Thank you for your attention!

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