Luwa Thin Film Evaporators #19581 & #8204

The key to efficient, economical concentration, distillation or de-volatilization of a product is selecting the technique best suited to the process. Tubular evaporators of batch or continuous types, such as forced circulation, rising film and falling film, have been widely used successfully with a variety of materials. However, they have been less successful with heat-sensitive, viscous, fouling or high-boiling liquids. Degradation due to long residence time, fouling of the heat transfer surface, plugging of tubes, and low heat transfer coefficients and high pressure drops due to high viscosities are common operating problems

Agitated thin-film evaporation has been very successful with difficult-to-handle products. Simply stated, the method quickly separates the volatile from the less volatile components using indirect heat transfer and mechanical agitation of the flowing product film under controlled conditions. The separation is normally made under vacuum conditions to maximize DT while maintaining the most favorable product temperature, and to maximize volatile stripping and recovery. A variety of thin-film evaporator designs is commercially available today. Thin-film evaporators can be either vertical or horizontal, and can have cylindrical or tapered thermal bodies and rotors. The agitated thin-film or "wiped- film" evaporator consists of two major assemblies: a heated body and a rotor. The rotor may be one of several zero-clearance designs (wiping), a rigid fixed-clearance type or, in the case of a tapered rotor, an adjustable-clearance construction may be used.

The majority of thin-film evaporators in operation today is the vertical design with a cylindrical fixed-clearance rotor. Within the vertical design evaporator, the product enters the unit tangentially above the heated zone and is distributed evenly over the inner circumference of the body wall by the rotor. Product spirals down the wall while bow waves developed by the rotor blades generate highly turbulent flow and optimum heat flux. Volatile components evaporate rapidly. Vapors can flow either co-currently or, more commonly, counter-currently, and are ready for condensing or subsequent processing as they leave the unit. Non-volatile components are discharged at the bottom outlet. Continuous washing by the bow waves minimizes fouling of the thermal wall where the product or conditions in the process zone are important for highly reactive products.

Agitated thin-film evaporators have a wide processing flexibility, and a single system can often be designed to process different products under varied operating conditions. Agitated thin-film technology is a good choice for processes or products containing vaporizable or partly vaporizable components that must be removed to improve quality, yield/recovery, operating economy or environmental containment.

173 Sq Ft Luwa thin film evaporator Model L850/6300/HT, SN 16116. 316LSS wetted parts w/titanium stabilized shell. Four section (4) jacket rated at 75 psig @ 650 deg F. Special "K" type rotor w/06 clearance off wall. 33 5/8" dia x 26'4" long. Spider ring with dual action separator and double mechanical seals. Unit includes conical bottom discharge with Warren screw pump on discharge, Model 3FSXH, jacket, driven by 7.5 HP DC drive, 2 to 10 GPM. Openings on evaporator include 20" vapor outlet and 2" jacket connections. The rotor is driven by 60 HP US varidrive with 3/60/460 volt TEFC motor and Falk reducer 150 to 615 rpm output.

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173 sq ft Luwa 316LSS thin film evaporator Model NL4-850/6300/18 SPEC, SN #16173. Evaporator includes 20HP belt motor drive. Full vacuum internals and Jacket rated at 150 psig. This unit is equipped w/special lower bearing support arrangement and enlarged 60” outlet attached to approx 1,000 gal 316LSS jacket receiver w/inverted 15 HP Philadelphia anchor agitator drive, PTEM-16, Receiver rated at 200 psig jacket. Receiver has double mechanical seals. Internally mounted detraining baffles, rotor has 1" clearance.

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International Process Plants and Equipment supplies Dryers of all types, distillation plants, crystallizers and other thermal concentration / separation systems to the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical (organic and inorganic), carbohydrate and food ingredients industries.