Falling Film Evaporators: Principles And Applications | Alaqua INC

 A falling film evaporator is a type of heat exchanger that uses a shell and tube design to evaporate heat-sensitive liquids. The feed is pumped into the evaporator from the top. It’s then uniformly dispersed throughout the heating tubes of the device. While partially evaporated, the liquid flows through tubes, forming a thin layer on the tube walls. To guarantee a high heat exchanger coefficient, the heat is given through the heating medium (usually steam). Under the influence of gravity, the liquid and vapour move downhill. The vapour flow in the co-current direction aids the liquid’s downward descent. At the bottom of the falling film evaporators unit, the concentrated product and its vapour are separated from one another.

The design of Alaqua’s falling film evaporators takes into account two important considerations:

• To reduce the feed’s residence time, maximise heat transmission in the shortest period possible.
• The homogeneous distribution of heat ensures that no clumps or fouling occur on the inner side of the walls during the feed transfer.

High and efficient heat transmission is ensured by a standard technique used during material selection that considers the feed qualities. The distributor head that feeds into the tubes is intended to guarantee uniform wetting of the tube surfaces, preventing crusting, which is the source of many of the major maintenance issues with falling film evaporators.

How Falling Film Evaporator Works?

A falling film evaporator (FFE) is a form of vertically oriented shell and tube (S&T) heat exchanger used to separate two or more liquids with different boiling points.

Two compartments are included in a shell and tube heat exchanger. Its most fundamental function is to put a heating or cooling fluid, referred to as the media, into indirect but close contact with a product fluid, referred to as the process fluid. Between the media and the process fluids, energy is exchanged as heat through a shell and tube heat exchanger. When an S&T heat exchanger is used to evaporate a component of a process fluid, the media is hotter than the process fluid, and energy is transferred from the media into the process liquid.

The heating medium is cycled through the shell side of the S&T heat exchanger in the case of the falling film evaporators in particular. The evaporator’s tube side receives the process fluid. A portion of the product is vaporised, and energy is transmitted from the heating medium into the product.

The process liquid is poured into the top of the falling film evaporators and is uniformly distributed throughout the heat exchanger’s heating tubes. The liquid must be equally dispersed to flow down the inside walls of each tube. The term “falling film” refers to the liquid film that descends down the tubes and is the source of the heat exchanger’s name.

Why Falling Film Evaporators?

A falling film evaporator is a form of heat exchanger that is very efficient and effective. Indeed, due to the outstanding thermal performance of a well-designed FFE, many firms across most key sectors have been gradually upgrading their equipment from outdated rising film evaporators, calandria type evaporators, or forced circulation style evaporators to falling film evaporators.

The development and maintenance of a very thin film of rapidly descending liquid laminated to the internal surface of the evaporation tubes allow falling film evaporators to attain their excellent thermal performance. The contact between the process liquid and the heating medium is maximised by an equally dispersed liquid layer, allowing for the fastest energy transfer from the media to the process fluid. This entails quicker evaporation rates and the capacity to employ a cooler heating medium, both of which are advantageous for treating thermally degraded materials.

To attain this high degree of performance, the descending liquid must be evenly dispersed throughout all of the tubes, equally disseminated around the circumference of each tube, thoroughly laminated to the inside surface of each tube, and travel down each tube at the optimal velocity. Tubes that haven’t been adequately wetted can cause thermally labile products to degrade, are the leading source of fouling evaporators services, and have poor thermal performance.

Falling Film Evaporator Applications

• Pharmaceuticals
• Food and Beverages
• Dairy Industry
• Papers
• Chemical Industry
• For products with low fouling property

Alaqua optimizes its flow lamination technology for each FFE it designs and builds. When designing the flow lamination system, Alaqua acknowledges that various applications may have a unique mix of variables, such as solids content, extract content, desired (per cent) reduction in the solvent, and vapour velocity, which must be taken into account. The result is a small FFE with high throughput, little fouling, and consistent, regulated evaporation temperatures.

Various interpretations of falling film evaporators are quickly gaining favour, particularly in the hemp business. The performance and dependability of an FFE are highly dependent on the designer’s real technical skills. Alaqua takes pleasure in offering high-performance equipment and equipment services that have been meticulously developed, produced, and are field-tested. Contact us today to know more about our processing equipment and its services!

Reducing Risk in Food Processing: Sanitation, Worker’s Safety, and Traceability | Alaqua INC

 Food processing safety and sanitation requirements are stringent, partly because the stakes are so high. Consumers and staff alike may be in danger due to ineffective safety and sanitary standards. Maintaining high safety and sanitation standards is a continuous and sometimes difficult effort, yet failing to do so may result in liability, recalls, and significant financial and public image losses. Consider these frequent dangers to the plantation of processing equipment for food processing facilities and how you may minimize risk in food processing if you’re planning renovations or adjustments to your facility.

How Can Food Processing Risks Be Reduced?

Appropriate Sanitation

Food processing at all levels needs thorough and effective sanitary processes. The Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), for example, provides forth sanitation requirements and recommendations for a variety of sectors and verticals. Because they utilize various types of equipment and operate with various foods, different facilities require distinct cleaning and sanitizing techniques. It can be difficult to find the proper method, and some hazards are particularly tough to avoid.

The following are the most prevalent food-processing sanitation hazards to avoid:

• Drains: Pathogens, particularly Listeria, are frequently found in drains. According to research, Listeria may be found in 33 to 47 percent of food processing facility drains. Cleaning drains is a tedious but necessary activity that should not be disregarded while cleaning.
• Cleaning debris: “Cleaning” refers to the removal of debris, whereas “sanitizing” means the destruction of pathogens. Sanitizing chemicals must make contact with the equipment surface to work, which necessitates the removal of debris first. It’s crucial to have the correct instruments for the job, such as cleaning detergents to loosen materials and brushes to scrape or brush dirt away.
• Electronics: Electronics can increase the efficiency of food processing equipment, but they are also more difficult to clean. Use electronics that have the appropriate IP certifications or hermetic sealing to withstand high-pressure washing and sanitization.
• Vents: Because vents are difficult to reach, they are frequently neglected. This causes dust and germs to accumulate, posing a threat to both air quality and food safety, as well as the potential of dust explosions in areas where dust and powders are prevalent.
• Cleaning tools should be color-coded: Even though the tools are the same, cleaning tools used on floors or drains should be kept separate from cleaning tools used on equipment. Color-coding is described in 21 CFR 117 and is useful for keeping tools distinct.
• Good Manufacturing Practices: Good manufacturing practices (GMP) are an important aspect of sanitation and food safety. Design defects can be avoided by using the correct steel grade, eliminating breakable burrs or holes in welded connections, and a variety of other techniques.

Workers Safety

Sanitation is necessary for the food processing industry to reduce risk and protect customers, but worker safety is equally crucial. These two frequently occur together. Food safety standards lag behind when worker safety practices are inadequate. OSHA rules must be followed by food processors for the safety of their employees, and extra safety measures can assist limit liability and risk. Some of the most prevalent hazards for food processing employees are listed here.

Recent Post: Crystallizers: Specification, Design, and Methods

• Heights: If you have catwalks, ladders, or your employees operate at heights at any time, adequate rails, traction stickers, and fall safety devices are essential. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended these guidelines in 2016 to ensure that workers are adequately protected from falls.
• Slippery surfaces: In food processing factories, surfaces exposed to water, oil, blood, or other slippery substances can cause falls. To avoid slips, placemats over certain places and make sure they are cleaned correctly during sanitation operations.
• Dust: Dust, which appears to be innocuous, can be hazardous for a variety of reasons. Dust inhalation puts employees’ health in danger, and food leftovers can attract bugs. Dust fires and explosions, on the other hand, are the most hazardous threats. These are capable of destroying large facilities as well as killing personnel. Ensure that vents are clear, bulk bags are correctly emptied, and personnel is well-informed about dust and powder explosions and risks.
• Detachable Safeguards: Safeguards can occasionally interfere with workers’ tasks, therefore it’s tempting to remove them to make the job go quicker or simpler. Worker protections against blades and other moving parts, on the other hand, should not be detachable. Make it clear that safety comes first, and the protections should never be tampered with or deleted. If the work is challenging, assist staff in figuring out how to make it more efficient.
• Electrical Dangers: When dealing with high-powered equipment, electrical wiring may be particularly dangerous. Electrical components should only be altered, installed, or repaired by a certified electrician. It’s also crucial to make sure that cables aren’t damaged, especially those that come into touch with liquids, and that outlets are properly grounded, especially in sandy soil.
• Harmful Cleaning Chemicals: Proper sanitation sometimes necessitates the use of cleaning chemicals that are particularly hazardous to personnel. To disinfect enclosed places, for example, chlorine dioxide gas is sometimes used. This substance, on the other hand, is quite dangerous. Workers should know how to handle these substances. How to utilize protective equipment, and what happens if they get too close.

Traceability

Another key feature of food safety is traceability, which is crucial for reducing risk in the food processing process. FSMA mandates effective traceability procedures, but they also allow food processors to mitigate the effects of contamination if it happens. An efficient traceability system must possess a number of characteristics.

• Accurate Labeling: Accurate labeling shows where the ingredients originated from, where they went, and when they were consumed. This is crucial for discovering and recalling tainted materials or goods, as well as minimizing the impact of a recall.
• Automated Systems: Automated systems ais in the exact dispensing of ingredients, not only reducing waste but also guaranteeing that the correct lots are used in the correct products.
• Integrating Software: Integrating software with your automated ingredient system will not only make labeling more accurate and easier but will also enhance your record-keeping in case of an audit.
• Testing: A simulated recall will demonstrate whether your traceability methods are successful. A simulated recall will reveal any flaws in your traceability chain, allowing you to address them. Your employees will be familiar with the processes if you need to conduct a recall.

You can avoid or limit the effect of potentially costly mistakes or difficulties in food processing by minimizing risks. Remember to review as your company grows, or you add or replace equipment at your site, You may protect yourself against responsibility and loss by implementing the proper safety, cleanliness, and traceability processes.

Alaqua offers various processing equipment such as crystallizers, solvent recovery, distillation equipment, spray dryer, heat exchanger, and evaporator system worldwide for food, pharmaceutical, environmental, chemical, and power generation industries along with which we also offer equipment fabrication, troubleshooting, and other processing equipment services. Contact us today for further processing equipment queries and information!

How do I optimize Industrial refrigeration system?

In processing equipment services, processors should focus on five stages to get the most out of a contemporary industrial refrigeration system:

·         Lowering the costs of installation and maintenance

·         Improving productivity

·         Assuring the food safety

·         Following FSMA and HACCP requirements

·         Switching to more environmentally friendly refrigerants

Combining techniques can bring a number of advantages. This post will look at five techniques to improve the efficiency of industrial refrigeration systems.

1.    Lowering Costs of Installation and Maintenance

By utilizing communication networks, distributed controls can minimize the number of hardwired device runs to the central PLC system, lowering installation costs. They can also provide more versatility and dependability.

When you give a piece of equipment intelligence, it may function as a stand-alone gadget if the rest of the system goes down. Assume a processor wish to add a few evaporator systems to a facility with a centralized PLC system. Instead of increasing the IO of the centralized PLC system and adding modules, dispersed controls may be attached to the additional evaporators and communicated with the main PLC system.

Distributed controls can also save time and money in new installations by reducing the length of wire lines between IO points. Because there are fewer runs, there are fewer copper wires, lowering the cost.

Installing new technology into older or legacy systems is another approach to save money. Installation costs can be reduced by reusing existing cables and, where possible, existing IO.

To install sophisticated control systems, the majority of industrial supervisory control system vendors require new technologies. Fortunately, some companies have developed a software library for linking to older controllers, compressors, condensers, vessels, and the latest technology evaporators. This reduces the number of controllers that need to be replaced in the future.

While older controllers may need to be changed if they are hazardous or in bad shape, a processor may save money on the cost of a new controller, labor to repair it, and field wiring by not replacing them.

Equipment run times are recorded and synchronized with the manufacturer's suggested maintenance plan in predictive maintenance. Facilities can evaluate the data points collected from various devices in the facility and detect subtle variations in behavior that might signal equipment concerns. Taking care of these issues reduces machine downtime, which in turn reduces production downtime.

2.    Improving Productivity

Intelligent condenser control, intelligent compressor control, and load management are three of the most effective techniques to boost efficiency.

The sliding valve in the screw compressor exposes part of the rotor within, reducing the machine's capacity correspondingly. If the slide valve is 90% full, for example, 10% of the capacity can be recycled back into the suction chamber. Because the input power remains constant, the machine becomes less efficient as its capacity is lowered. How can this be resolved? Compressor control that is intelligent or autonomous compressor sequencing can enhance efficiency.

Many machine rooms run their machines on their own setpoints rather than in a coordinated manner. If the machines are operated in a coordinated manner, they may be run more efficiently by permitting only the amount of compressor capacity required to sustain cooler or freezer production.

Floating suction is a gadget that may also be utilized. Pressure and temperature are closely linked in all refrigeration systems. This feature may be used by an operator to better meet the facility's load needs by floating the system suction pressure higher. Reduced compressor operation is the payoff for this investment.

How much can a processor expect to save if these guidelines are followed? Let's start with the definition of a tonne of refrigeration: The electricity required to melt or freeze 2,000 kg of ice each day is equal to one tonne of refrigeration. Furthermore, 1 tonne of refrigeration equals 12,000 BTUs or 3.5 KW.

Assume that the cost of 1 kW is $0.12 for the sake of argument. The cost savings for a 50-ton decrease per day is $506.40 per day or $184,836 per year.

Intelligent condenser control is the second key method for enhancing efficiency. Automatic condenser staging and floating pressure with wet-bulb management are the two primary types available. In an industrial refrigeration system, condensers can account for up to 20% of the total energy usage. They have a direct impact on the overall efficiency of the business. This can be reduced by controlling the condensing equipment based on wet-bulb temperature or humidity.

When a bulb thermometer is wrapped with a water-soaked towel, it reads the temperature as a wet bulb. The wet-bulb temperature would be the same as the ambient air temperature if the relative humidity was 100%. Due to evaporative cooling, the wet-bulb temperature is lower than the dry-bulb temperature when the humidity is lower. The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be obtained by evaporating water under present environmental circumstances.

The condenser pressure should be kept as low as feasible in order to save energy. As the compressor's braking horsepower per tonne of refrigeration required decreases, the return is perceived as enhanced compressor efficiency. At lower discharge pressures, screw compressors run more efficiently. Lowering discharge pressure, on the other hand, might have an impact on other parts of the facility, so keep an eye out for potential side effects. Liquid injection and evaporator system defrost are two areas that should be scrutinized.

Ambient circumstances must also be considered. It will be more difficult to maintain a lower discharge pressure just by turning on all of the equipment and allowing it to operate at 100% if it is really hot outdoors. Instead, get the wet-bulb temperature by combining humidity and temperature.

The lowest discharge pressure feasible for evaporative condensers is equal to the saturated liquid pressure at the wet-bulb temperature plus the condenser approach temperature. It is feasible to establish the minimum condensing pressure using a wet bulb and utilize that number as the condenser pressure's floating setpoint. The amount of labor required by the compressor can be minimized by combining floating suction with floating discharge pressure control, lowering energy consumption.

Load control is the third and most important way to boost efficiency. Depending on the time of day, electric companies charge varying fees. It is feasible to shift load needs to off-peak hours when kilowatt use is less expensive, thanks to contemporary control technologies. During these periods, the cooling is turned down to a considerably lower setpoint, and the facility relies on a battery or a flywheel for power. This permits the system to be turned off during the day when energy costs are minimal.

Many power providers base their tariffs on both demand and the time of day. The highest 15 minutes of average usage determines the demand fee. Processors can track energy use in different regions of the plant to counteract this problem. When kilowatt use rises, the load is reduced to lower total demand. For example, if a cold-storage facility has six evaporators working and is already at capacity, four of them can be turned off to minimize demand. Peak demand costs can be considerably reduced using this method.

3.    Assuring Food Safety

Monitoring the temperature within the cold storage is one approach to assure food safety. Many advanced control systems can run facilities automatically and without human interaction. The controls issue automatic alarms and have pre-programmed reactions to any problems that develop. More Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and web-based interfaces for remote monitoring are becoming accessible, and enhanced analytics make condition monitoring more straightforward.

4.    Following FSMA and HACCP Requirements

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) rules, notable to the requirements for automatic reporting, can be made easier to comply with automated monitoring. Data may be recorded and saved for a longer amount of time in modern control systems. Facilities can prepare reports for subsequent examination using past data. During third-party audits, the reports can also be utilized for food process, verification, and safety evaluations.

5.    Switching to More Environmentally Friendly Refrigerants

This lends itself nicely to the shift to more climate-friendly refrigerants, continuing the thread of continuous monitoring and automated reactions. Having safety and dependability helps with the shift to alternative refrigerants, whether the system is using ammonia, propane, carbon dioxide, or low GWP HFOs. Advanced algorithms allow the system to be adjusted to the new refrigerants while being as energy efficient as possible, as well as leak detection for staff safety.

An industrial refrigeration business will benefit from combining all of these mentioned strategies. Alaqua is a USA based processing equipment such as crystallizer, distillation equipment, heat exchanger, solvent recovery, spray dryer, and evaporators supplier in USA that supplies them worldwide. They also offer various services for processing equipment. Contact them today to know more about the processing equipment and their services!

Freeze Drying vs Spray Drying: Is It Necessarily Quality vs Cost? | Alaqua INC

In an industry where productivity and profitability are becoming increasingly important, difficult decisions must be made from time to time, as evidenced by the debate over whether to use spray drying or freeze-drying when developing a product process, and it can come down to something as uncomplicated as overhead costs. Alaqua is a spray dryer supplier worldwide based in the US. In order to assist you to decide which is ideal for your project and product, we've weighed the benefits of each.

Which One to Choose?

When liquid stability is inadequate, storage requirements are too severe, or a solid form of the product is sought, freeze-drying is generally recognized in the biopharmaceutical sector as the optimum approach for preserving a wide range of pharmaceutical formulations.

While freeze-drying is the most widely used drying method for a number of materials with varying degrees of sensitivity, research has been conducted to study alternate ways, such as spray drying, due to the costs and often large quantities associated with the approach.

Spray drying, despite being new to the industry, has several advantages, such as the capacity to operate with higher throughput (more continuous than batch) and scalable volumes, making it a feasible alternative for lyophilization, but only in particular circumstances.

Process of Drying

Freeze drying works by freezing a product first, generally in a controlled manner to alter the ice crystal structure, and then placing it in a vacuum to remove the unbound water.

The material is then subjected to secondary drying, which reduces the material's remaining moisture to a user-defined level. Given that the goal at this point is bound rather than unbound/free water, more energy is necessary to accelerate the process by elevating shelf temperatures to +20°C or higher, along with low air pressure, enabling ice to convert straight into water vapor (bypassing the liquid phase).

The careful balance between temperature and vacuum is critical to ensuring a successful batch with minimal influence on product efficacy is created after drying, depending on the type of the sample being dried on a specific lyophilization cycle. Certain items, depending on their inherent sample qualities, may require freeze-drying settings ranging from 12 hours to 5 days to achieve this.

Spray drying is a more straightforward and faster method of turning a liquid solution into a dry powder in one step. The solution is atomized into fine droplets, which are then dried in a huge chamber using heated gas. A cyclone is subsequently used to gather the resultant dry particles.

Although faster and less costly than freeze-drying, one of the major drawbacks is the high processing temperatures/shear pressures it necessitates, which are precisely what many clients in the highly regulated pharmaceutical and biotech sectors prefer to avoid.

In freeze-drying, the product temperatures are typically below 0°C during primary drying and 20-30°C during secondary drying, but in spray drying, the product temperatures are consistently over 80°C.

Working at these higher (80°C) temperatures has the direct effect of lowering sample quality in terms of intrinsic product attributes after drying:

• taste
• efficacy
• nutritional value i.e. nutrients in food products
• smell/color
• proteins degeneration
• biological yield - a greater level of log reduction of cells i.e. bacterial

Industry Usage

Both processes have a wide variety of applications. Freeze drying is commonly used to preserve various fine chemicals/laboratory reagents, cell types, injectable vaccinations, as well as dairy and food products. This processing method is best suited for formulations that do not require further processing after drying, as it is typically performed with product directly filled in vials or other containers; additionally, avoiding potential contamination after the cycle is complete, vials can be sealed in-situ of the lyophilized.

On the other hand, spray drying is more often linked with bulk processing than vial processing. However, there is a frequent assumption that spray drying is only suited for food and solid bulk medicines, while recent research reveals that it may be a viable technology for some complicated items, such as microencapsulated bacteria and nan particulates.

Quality, Efficiency, and Cost

Spray drying is widely acknowledged to have lower costs than freeze drying, which has piqued the interest of some markets; and, because it is more open to higher throughput potentials, spray drying can be considered a "continuous process," as opposed to the batch format associated with freeze drying.

However, while spray drying has a lower 'upfront cost,' this isn't necessarily the truth for more complex compositions. Many coating procedures are required for products that require multiple coating layers, which may be time-consuming and costly. A simpler freeze-dried formulation is a more cost-efficient approach.

Furthermore, freeze drying's strength is in the consistent quality of the output. Low processing temperature accuracy reduces the possibility of inherent product features including eutectic melt, collapse, and glass transition temperatures being surpassed, resulting in high-quality freeze-dried goods. The shear stress that biopharmaceuticals are subjected to during spray drying when paired with the high processing temperatures necessary, can destabilize molecules like proteins and impair product characteristics, resulting in a reduction in product quality, according to research.

Alaqua is processing equipment such as the evaporator, crystallizer, heat exchanger, distillation equipment, solvent recovery, and spray dryer supplier worldwide based in the USA. They have more than 25 years of experience in supplying processing equipment and providing services of equipment fabrication, installation and commissioning, retrofitting, personnel training, troubleshooting, and field services. Contact them today to fulfill your processing equipment requirements!