ChE 195

Problem Set No. 2 (Evaporation)

Due Date: July 3, 2019

1. A triple effect evaporator is designed to reduce water from an incoming brine (NaCl + H2O) stream
from 25 wt% to 3 wt%. If the evaporator unit is to produce 14670 lb/hr of NaCl (along with 3 wt%
H2O), determine:
a. the feed rate of brine in lb/hr;
b. the water removed from the brine in each evaporator.

2. Find kilograms of R per 100 kilograms of fresh feed.

3. Sodium hydroxide is usually produced from common salt by electrolysis. The essential elements of
the system are shown below.
a. What is the percent conversion of salt to sodium hydroxide?
b. How much chlorine gas is produced per pound of product?
c. Per pound of product, how much water must be evaporated in the evaporator?

4. A single effect evaporator is being used to concentrate a feed of 10000 lb/hr of a cane sugar solution
at 80°F and containing a sugar content of 15°Brix (degrees of Brix corresponds to wt% sugar) to
30°Brix for use in a food process. Saturated steam at 240°F is available for heating. The vapor space
in the evaporator will be at 1 atm abs pressure. The overall U=350 BTU/hr-ft2-°F and the heat capacity
of the feed is 0.91 BTU/lb-°F. The boiling point rise can be estimated using the equation
BPR°C=1.78x+6.22x2 where x is the solutions °Brix. The heat of solution can be considered negligible
and can be neglected. Calculate the area required for the evaporator and the amount of steam used.

5. An evaporator is concentrating F kg per hour at 311K of a 20 wt% solution of NaOH to 50%. The
saturated steam used for heating is at 399.3K. The pressure in the vapor space of the evaporator is 13.3
kPa abs. The overall coefficient is 1420 W/m2-K and the area is 86.4 m2. Calculate the feed rate of the
evaporator.

6. A forced circulation triple effect evaporator using forward feed is to be used to concentrate a 10wt%
NaOH solution entering at 37.8°C to 50%. The steam used enters at 58.6 kPa. The absolute pressure
in the vapor space of the third effect is 6.76 kPa. The feed rate is 13608 kg/h. The heat transfer
coefficients are 6246, 3407, and 2271 W/m2-°C, respectively. All effects have the same area . Calculate
this area and the process’ steam consumption.

7. A solution with negligible boiling point rise is being evaporated in a triple effect evaporator using
saturated stem at 394.3K. The pressure in the vapor space of the last effect is 25.6 kPa abs. The heat
transfer coefficients of each effect are 2840, 1988, and 1420 W/m2-K, respectively, and the areas are
all equal. Estimate the boiling point in each of the effects.