More efficient evaporation
Multi-effect evaporators (MEE) are proven systems for evaporating and concentrating industrial liquids. In practice, however, their performance and cost-effectiveness are often restricted by fouling and scaling. Deposits on heat transfer surfaces hamper the heat transfer, increase the pressure loss, and lead to higher energy consumption, more cleaning work, and reduced evaporation capacity. With Klaren MEE, Taprogge is offering a solution that supplements and improves on conventional multi-effect evaporation with a self-cleaning function. Thanks to its targeted use in evaporator effects, which are particularly susceptible to fouling and scaling, the system stabilizes the heat transfer, reduces downtimes, and increases the efficiency of the overall system.
How Klaren MEE works
In a multi-effect evaporator, the vapor generated in one effect is used as a heating medium for the next effect. This makes particularly efficient use of the input thermal energy. Depending on the application, the evaporators are either operated in forward feed or backward feed. In other words, the medium to be evaporated and the heating steam either flow in the same direction or in opposite directions through the evaporator chain. Klaren MEE enhances this process by integrating self-cleaning evaporators, which are not typically used in all evaporator effects, but only in some of them. This involves creating a fluidized bed of cleaning particles in the heat exchanger tubes. The upward flow of fluid keeps these particles moving. This produces a gentle yet effective scouring effect along the tube inner walls, which prevents fouling layers from forming and removes deposits at an early stage. A specially designed and engineered distributor system provides for a uniform distribution of the particles at the inlet, which supports stable operation and ensures efficient heat transfer over long uptimes.
Klaren MEE: schematic representation
Your benefits at a glance
- Stable evaporation performance
Constantly high heat transfer coefficients ensure reliable evaporation rates. - Continuous operation with reduced fouling
Self-cleaning evaporators reduce interruptions for cleaning and help to keep the flow rate through the plant stable. - Lower maintenance and cleaning costs
The continuous online cleaning reduces the need for frequent manual cleaning and maintenance measures. This increases both plant uptime and plant availability, while reducing the operating costs. - Longer service life for the evaporators
Fewer deposits reduce the mechanical and thermal stress on the equipment and help to increase the service life of the evaporators. - More sustainable operation
The use of fewer cleaning chemicals and less water support resource-efficient plant operation.
Targeted self-cleaning for optimum performance
TAPROGGE Solutions
Not all evaporator effects in an MEE system are prone to fouling to the same extent. Our Klaren MEE system therefore focuses on the effects where scaling and other deposits hamper performance the most. This selective approach ensures high efficiency while simultaneously reducing investment costs as well as system complexity. The question of which evaporator effects require self-cleaning depends on multiple factors: from plant configuration to feed arrangement to the composition of the medium to be concentrated.
For demanding processes
The Klaren MEE plant is designed for industrial processes in which fouling and scaling limit performance and increase operating costs.
Typical applications include the following:
- Waste water from the chemical, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries
- Media with high salinity and RO concentrates
- Waste water from the textile and dye industries
- Process water from food and drinks production
- Industrial brine and other challenging process liquids
