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- Long tube vertical evaporators with either natural or forced circulation are most popular. Tubes are 19–63 mm dia and 12–30 ft long.
- In forced circulation, linear velocities in the tubes are 15–20 ft/sec.
- Film-related efficiency losses can be minimized by maintaining a suitable temperature gradient, for instance 40–458F. A reasonable overall heat transfer coefficient is 250 Btu/(h)(ft2).
- Elevation of boiling point by dissolved solids results in differences of 3–108F between solution and saturated vapor.
- When the boiling point rise is appreciable, the economic number of effects in series with forward feed is 4–6.
- When the boiling point rise is small, minimum cost is obtained with 8–10 effects in series.
- In countercurrent evaporator systems, a reasonable temperature approach between the inlet and outlet streams is 308F. In multistage operation, a typical minimum is 108F.
- In backward feed the more concentrated solution is heated with the highest temperature steam so that heating surface is lessened, but the solution must be pumped between stages.
- The steam economy of an N-stage battery is approximately 0.8N lb evaporation/lb of outside steam.
- Interstage steam pressures can be boosted with steam jet compressors of 20–30% efficiency or with mechanical compressors of 70–75% efficiency.