At the core of the four-effect evaporator is the strategic reuse of energy. This system operates on a clever mechanism where the secondary steam generated from one evaporation process is utilized as the heating source for the next, thereby substantially reducing the need for fresh steam.
Multiple-effect evaporators utilize the secondary steam generated by the evaporation in the previous effect as the heat source for the next effect to achieve the purpose of saving energy. Four-effect evaporator is one of the multiple-effect evaporator, which is selected when the treatment capacity is relatively large. And combined with separators and crystallizers of different structures, it can achieve concentration and crystallization processes for various materials, from food and beverages to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, meeting multiple processing requirements.
A four-effect evaporator system consists of four evaporator stages or “effects” arranged in series. The primary principle behind this system is the sequential reuse of vapor energy formed in one effect as the heating medium for the next. This cascading process is facilitated by decreasing the pressure (and hence boiling point) of the solvent in each successive effect.
The process begins in the first effect, where the feed enters and is heated by an external source, usually steam. The generated vapor then serves as the heating medium for the second effect, which operates at a lower pressure. This sequence continues, with the vapor from each effect heating the next, until the final effect, where the remaining vapor may be condensed usually.
The four-effect evaporator consists of four evaporator stages or “effects”, a condenser, vacuum system and auxiliary equipments. The four evaporators operate in a series to form the four-effect system, with each stage designed to progressively utilize the residual energy from the preceding one. The entire evaporation system adopts a continuous input and output production method, achieving continuous operation.
Four-effect evaporators are employed across diverse sectors to remove solvent, typically water, from a solution or slurry to concentrate the solute:
Food and Beverage Industry: Concentration of juices, dairy products (like milk), and extracts.
Chemical Industry: Concentration of chemicals, solvents, and industrial wastewater treatment.
Pharmaceutical Industry: Concentration of medicinal solutions.
Environmental protection: treatment of industrial wastewater in industries like chemical, pharmaceutical, metallurgy, mining, petrochemical, rare earths, lithium batteries, and hazardous waste.
Through the tailored design of the process, the four-effect evaporators are able to achieve a variety of applications.
Generally, the four-effect evaporator consumes 0.3~0.35 tons of steam per ton of water evaporated, while it is 1.1~1.2ton of steam per ton of water evaporated in a single-effect evaporator.
When designing a four-effect evaporator system, our engineers consider several critical factors to optimize its operation. These include the specific needs for heat recovery, the potential for automatic online cleaning to ensure long-term efficacy, and the choice among various process configurations such as forced or natural circulation and falling or rising film evaporation. The selection is tailored to meet the unique requirements of each application, ensuring the system’s maximum efficiency and reliability.
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