Thermal integration of multiple effect evaporator in sugar plant

Besides the largest energy consumption in the process of sugar production, evaporation also presents many opportunities of thermal integration with the remaining of the process. That occurs due to the possibility of making use of the vapor generated during the evaporation operation (vegetal vapor), as a heating source, from extractions to process. Regarding the thermal integration of the multiple effect evaporator (MEE), previous studies showed that, in general, the energy recovery is usually larger when extractions are practiced in the last effects of the operation. Although the results found can be used for development of new projects, as heuristic rules, the application has been limited due to the lack of understanding on the Subject. In the present investigation, a study was carried out by defining equations that can be used as a reference for thermal integration projects, including MEEs. The equations are also helpful for elaborating a systematic way to apply pinch analysis in sugar plant with an algorithm. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.