Helwan University

Faculty of Engineering-Mattaria
Energy Department

EVAPORATOR
HEAT EXCHANGER

Supervised by
Dr. Hala Mahmoud

Prepared by
Omar Ahmed Nasreldin Aly
 Abstract

The function of the evaporator is described, and evaporator types are first
categorized as air cooling or liquid cooling, then its applications are explained.

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 Table of

Abstract..............................................................................................II
Table of Contents.............................................................................III
Table of Figures................................................................................IV
Chapter 1 Introduction......................................................................1
1.1 Heat Exchangers.............................................................................................................1
1.1.1 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger...................................................................................1
1.2 Evaporators as Heat Exchangers..................................................................................2
1.2.1 Heat Transfer in the Evaporator................................................................................3
Chapter 2 Types of Evaporators.......................................................5
2.1 Introduction to Evaporators.........................................................................................5
2.2 Types of Evaporators.....................................................................................................5
Chapter 3 Evaporator Applications................................................11
3.1 Applications Overview.................................................................................................11
3.2 Common Uses for Evaporators...................................................................................11
3.3 Applications of Evaporators........................................................................................11
References..........................................................................................13

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 Table of
Figure 1.1 Heat Exchanger (Shell & Tube)...............................................................................1
Figure 1.2 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger Design......................................................................2
Figure 1.3 P vs h Diagram for Refrigerator...............................................................................3
Figure 1.4 Energy Processes in the Evaporator (Counterflow)..................................................4
Figure 2.1 Forced Circulation Evaporator.................................................................................5
Figure 2.2 Rising Film Evaporator.............................................................................................6
Figure 2.3 Falling Film Evaporator............................................................................................7
Figure 2.4 Agitated Thin Film Evaporator.................................................................................8
Figure 2.5 Multi-Effect Evaporator............................................................................................9
Figure 2.6 Self-Cleaning Evaporator.......................................................................................10

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Chapter Introductio

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Heat Exchangers

Heat exchangers are defined as equipment that affects the transfer of thermal energy in the
form of heat from one fluid to another. The simplest exchangers involve the direct mixing of
hot and cold fluids. Most industrial exchangers are those in which the fluids are separated by
a wall. The latter type, referred to by some as a recuperator, can range from a simple plane
wall between two flowing fluids to more complex configurations involving multiple passes,
fins, or baffles. Conductive and convective heat transfer principles are required to describe
and design these units; radiation effects are generally neglected. Heat exchangers for
the chemical, petrochemical, petroleum, paper, and power industries encompass a wide
variety of designs that are available from many manufacturers. Equipment design practice
first requires the selection of safe operable equipment. The selection and design process must
also seek a cost- effective balance between initial (capital) installation costs, operating costs,
and maintenance costs. The proper application of heat exchange principles can significantly
minimize both the initial cost of a plant and the daily operating and/or utility costs. Each heat
exchange application may be accomplished by the use of many types of heat exchange
equipment. To perform these applications, their design and materials of construction must be
suitable for the desired operating conditions; the selection of materials of construction is
primarily influenced by the operating temperature and the corrosive nature of the fluids being
handled.

Figure 1.1 Heat Exchanger (Shell & Tube)

1.1.1 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger

The most common heat exchanger is shell and tube heat exchanger, and it is widely used in
various industries. The shell and tube heat exchangers are usually constructed with the help of
using many tubes of parallel heat exchangers. The tube sheets are also used in the
construction process of heat exchangers. The tube sheets help in holding the heat exchanger
tubes tightly and inflexibly so that the heat exchanger tubes should remain in the correct
place. The heat exchanger tubes are placed in the shell. Because of the use of tube and shell,

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Chapter Introductio
this heat exchanger

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Chapter Introductio

is called shell and tube heat exchanger. There are various designing options available for the
heat exchanger depending on the pattern of flow through shell and tubes.

Figure 1.2 Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger Design

However, whether it’s any type of designing of the heat exchangers, the common thing
between them is one fluid always passes via the shell and this process is known as shell-side
fluid. Whereas the other fluid always passes via the tube, and this process is known as the
tube side fluid. The shell and tube heat exchanger consists of tube walls which help in
allowing the procedure of exchanging heat through the two fluids. The total measurement of
the heat transfer depends on the type of design of the shell and tube heat exchanger. There are
many different types of shell and tube heat exchangers available in the market. The different
type of shell and tube heat exchanger is used for a different type of industrial application.

1.2 Evaporators as Heat Exchangers

The heat exchanger is commonly used in evaporators and condensers. The most common use
of heat exchanger in evaporators is for the purpose of water cooling and water chilling
applications such as shell & tube heat exchanger. The use of heat exchanger in the evaporator
is mainly used in the refrigerators for changing the liquid into the gaseous state and removes
the heat through the cooling fluid. Whereas, when it comes to the use of heat exchanger in
condensers, then it is used for changing the vapor into a liquid state and providing heat to
heat rejection fluid.
In refrigeration engineering, heat exchangers are equally used as evaporators and as
condensers. In both applications, the refrigerant undergoes a phase transition.

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Chapter Introductio

Figure 1.3 P vs h Diagram for Refrigerator

1.2.1 Heat Transfer in the Evaporator

The energy processes in an evaporator can be assigned to two different areas:-
1. Evaporating
The refrigerant absorbs the heat from the medium and evaporates. The temperature of the
refrigerant remains constant despite heat absorption. The absorbed energy is used for the
phase change.

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Chapter Introductio

2. Superheating
The already completely evaporated refrigerant continues to absorb heat and is heated up in
the process. Superheated refrigerant steam is found at the outlet. This operating superheat
determines the degree of utilization of the evaporator and can be adjusted via the expansion
valve.

Figure 1.4 Energy Processes in the Evaporator (Counterflow)

In short, an evaporator is a type of heat exchanger. Evaporators are the component of a

refrigeration system that absorbs heat from the cold side of the cycle. It’s called an evaporator
because the entering fluid is in the liquid phase and boils/evaporates as it absorbs heat.

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Chapter Types of

Chapter 2 Types of Evaporators

2.1 Introduction to Evaporators

Evaporators are used to convert liquids into gaseous state via heat transfer. All of the basic
evaporators have a mechanism to separate liquid and vapor by means of heat transfer. The
raw material is fed into the evaporator and passes through heated tubes. The heat evaporates
the water within the raw material.

2.2 Types of Evaporators

Evaporators are distinguished into different types based on the way they achieve the heat
transfer. For instance, the working of forced circulation evaporators relies on pumps to
circulate the feed whereas falling film evaporator design calculations rely on gravity. Based
on their designs, evaporators can be classified into following types:-
1. Forced circulation evaporators

Figure 2.1 Forced Circulation Evaporator

Forced circulation evaporators consist of tubular heat exchangers for concentrating feed.
Forced circulation evaporator is deployed in cases where there is a high chance of feed or
product liquor slating or scaling, or when the feed has high viscosity and the thermal and flow
properties of the process liquor are poor, rendering forced circulation necessary. In the forced
circulation evaporator mechanism, the feed is pumped at high velocity through the tubes to
ensure high heat transfer coefficient. Forced circulation evaporator working is best suited for
crystallization of slurries and other solutions.

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The working of forced circulation evaporator achieves high velocities and low residence time
in a small space due to high heat transfer. This prevents the feed from reacting with the vessel
of the forced circulation evaporator. Thus, forced circulation evaporator mechanism greatly
reduces or eliminates altogether, the possibility of scaling. Rapid evaporation makes forced
circulation evaporators suitable for processing thermonuclear substances. . The use of
pumping in forced circulation evaporator mechanism also makes forced circulation
evaporators the best fit for viscous preparation.

2. Rising film evaporator

Figure 2.2 Rising Film Evaporator

The rising film evaporator is essentially a shell and tube type heat exchanger. The liquid to be
evaporated is fed into the evaporator from the bottom of the tube. There is a condensation of
steam on the outer surface of the vertical tubes, and the liquid within the evaporator boils up
into vapor. As the liquid progresses up the tube, the volume of vapor being generated
increases leading to a higher central core velocity. This velocity in turn forces the liquid to
the remaining tube wall, creating a thin liquid film which moves rapidly. The rapid
movement of the film leads to high heat transfer coefficient and reduction in residence time
of the material. Rising film evaporators are best suited to process materials that have mild
scaling tendencies, but they cannot handle heavy scaling and heat sensitive materials.

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3. Falling film evaporator

Figure 2.3 Falling Film Evaporator

A falling film evaporator is built to solve the problems rising film evaporator faces. Falling
film evaporator is best suited to evaporate heat sensitive liquids. As seen in the falling film
evaporator diagram here, the feed enters the evaporator from the top and is distributed
through the heating tubes. The liquid flows through tubes and forms a thin film on the walls
of the tube while being partially evaporated. The heat is provided through the heating
medium (generally steam) to ensure a high heat-transfer coefficient. The liquid and the vapor
then flow downwards under the pull of gravity. In the falling film evaporator working, the co-
current vapor flow serves to augment the downward movement of the liquid. The
concentrated product and its vapor are then separated from each other at the bottom of the
falling film evaporator unit.

A standard process followed while material selection which takes into account the feed
properties ensure high & efficient heat transfer. The distributor head of the falling film
evaporator which feeds into the tubes is designed to ensure uniform wetting of the tube
surfaces thus avoiding any crusting which is the root of major maintenance problems
pertaining to falling film evaporators. Shachi's experience in falling film evaporator design
calculations clubbed with high end design capabilities and meticulous manufacturing
practices ensure that the falling film evaporator carries out your process in exactly the
required way.

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4. Agitated thin film evaporator

Figure 2.4 Agitated Thin Film Evaporator

Agitated thin film evaporators consist mainly of jacketed shells and high-speed rotors. The
working principle of the agitated thin film evaporator involves the feed entering the
evaporator from the top. As shown in the agitated thin film evaporator diagram here, the feed
is then agitated and spread out into a thin film on the shell walls by the fast-spinning rotor.
The liquid is distributed in the form of a thin film on the heated wall where the heat transfer
takes place. Further on, the rotor inside the heating shell wipes the fluid film from the walls.
Hence, agitated thin film evaporator is also called Wiped film evaporator. Agitated thin film
evaporators are used mostly for fluids that possess high sensitivity and high viscosity.

The agitated thin film evaporator working principle enables businesses to achieve extremely
high and specific evaporation rates. The vapors generated within the ATFD evaporator after
heating flow concurrently are cleaned using an entrainment separator. The turbulence helps
the thorough heat transfer and mechanically ensures that the entire mass undergoes the
process to produce high yields from 30% to 80% concentration possible in a single pass.
Intensive mixing process within the ATFD evaporator also serves to protect temperature-
sensitive products from overheating.

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5. Multi-effect evaporator

Figure 2.5 Multi-Effect Evaporator

Multi effect evaporator operation is a process where multiple evaporators are used, and the
water vapor discharged from one effect is used as the heating medium for the next effect
which has a lower boiling point. Multi effect evaporator is widely used for concentrating
aqueous fluids and enables businesses to obtain the product at the lowest temperature. One or
more bodies operating at the same boiling temperature are defined as one ‘effect’ of a multi-
effect evaporator.

In the multi-effect evaporator, the first effect is heated with raw steam and the other effects
are arranged in an order of subsequently reducing boiling points. The multi effect evaporator
working principle enables the operation to reuse the latent heat in the water vapor. As the
vapor pressure of the second effect relative to the first effect is lowered, the boiling point of
the second effect in the multi effect evaporator is also lowered. The feed moves from high
pressure to low pressure in multi effect evaporator, which eliminates the need to pump the
feed. The feed arrangement in a multi effect evaporator can be done in forward, backward,
mixed or parallel manner.

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6. Self-cleaning evaporator

Figure 2.6 Self-Cleaning Evaporator

The operating principle of the self-cleaning evaporator is based on the circulation of solid
cleaning particles through the tubes of a vertical shell and tube heat exchanger. The fouling
liquid flows upward through the tube bundle of the heat exchanger which incorporates
specially designed inlet and outlet channels. Solid particles are fed to the fluid through the
inlet channel.

A proprietary distribution system is employed to ensure a uniform division of particles over

all the tubes. The particles are fluidized by the upward flow of liquid, where they create the
mild scouring effect on the wall of the heat exchanger tubes, thereby removing any deposit at
an early stage of fouling formation. After the tube bundle the particles disengage from the
liquid in the separator and are returned to the inlet channel and the cycle is repeated.

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Chapter Evaporator

Chapter 3 Evaporator Applications

3.1 Applications Overview

Evaporators are used widely in processing industries that work with fluids and chemicals.
They work best in low-temperature applications in food and pharmaceutical industries and in
effluent treatment. Apart from manufacturing reliable and cost-effective evaporators for over
two decades, Shachi has recently introduced the new self-cleaning evaporator in India in
collaboration with Klaren International BV from Holland for effluent treatment.

3.2 Common Uses for Evaporators

Evaporators are widely employed in most industries that depend on a constant supply of
fluids or chemicals. HVAC systems, for example, use evaporator coils to vaporize
compressed cooling chemicals, removing heat in the process. These systems also use
condenser coils to exhaust the heat outside, making the entire process much more effective.
Heat recovery evaporators are used to convert seawater into clean water in desalination
plants. Utility companies tend to prefer these evaporators over alternative solutions because
of their simplicity and minimal energy requirements. The end result is lower operational
costs.
Evaporators are also used in oil fields to separate water and various other compounds from
crude oil. Though more difficult to use than other types of evaporators, these are nevertheless
popular among energy companies because they can reduce operating costs while meeting
government-mandated standards. Because they are relatively compact, they can also be easily
transported to other locations.
The food industry employs evaporators to achieve product consistency. Coffee is a case in
point. Evaporation is also used to concentrate liquid foods such as noodles and make
condensed milk, the product of a process that removes water from milk. Similarly,
pharmaceutical companies use evaporators to remove excess moisture from drugs, thus
improving product stability.

3.3 Applications of Evaporators

Because of their efficiency, evaporators are well-suited to an array of industrial applications.

They are particularly common in processing industries. Food and dairy products such as
tomato purees, milk, herbal extracts, gelatin, coconut water, and whey and milk proteins are
all processed with the help of evaporators. The same is true for chemicals such as dyes,
ammonium nitrate, glycerin, sodium nitrate, paints, and pigments.
Evaporators are also ideal for very low temperature applications in the food and
pharmaceutical industries. These include the production of plasma, fermented products,
coffee extracts, fruit juices, bulk drugs, glycerin, sweet water, yeast extract, and protein
hydrolysate. Whey, gelatin,

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Chapter Evaporator

malt extracts, glucose, fructose, dextrose, sorbitol, and maltodextrin are all produced with
evaporators, as well.
Another field in which evaporators are widely used is waste management. Waste
management providers rely on them to treat effluents, or wastewater, from various plants,
including distilleries, grain mills, abattoirs, textile plants, chemical reactors, and storage
tanks.

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References

1. Al-Sammarraie, Ahmed T.; Vafai, Kambiz (2017). "Heat transfer augmentation

through convergence angles in a pipe". Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A:
Applications. 72 (3): 197–214.

2. Sadik Kakaç; Hongtan Liu (2002). Heat Exchangers: Selection, Rating and Thermal
Design (2nd ed.). CRC Press.

3. Coulson, J. & Richardson, J. (1983), Chemical Engineering – Design (SI Units),

Volume 6, Pergamon Press, Oxford.

4. Shachi, Passion Powered Performance.

5. RCM Engineering, Thermal Kinetics.