What are the advantages of plate evaporators in the sugar industry?

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The plate-type evaporation units have the following advantages in applications within the sugar industry: 1. High evaporation efficiency. In the industries of starch sugars and sugar alcohols, for third-effect evaporation units, the average evaporation rate per unit of heat transfer area in plate-type evaporators can reach 30–50 kg/㎡·h, which is 2–4 times higher than that of tube-type evaporators; as a result, less heat transfer area is required under the same conditions. In the juice industry, the average evaporation rate per unit of heat exchange area can reach 30–70 kg/㎡·h. 2. It has a compact structure and occupies little space, making it particularly suitable for the renovation of old factories and technological upgrades, where existing equipment can be made full use of to overcome space constraints ； For plate evaporation systems with a larger evaporation capacity of 20-30 t/h, they can be installed in a space of 11*6*4m. 3. Short material residence time: For a four-effect evaporation unit, the time it takes for the material to move from the first effect to the fourth effect is approximately 4 minutes. The time at the high temperature in Stage I is only 20–40 seconds, making it suitable for the evaporation and concentration of heat-sensitive materials. 4. The plate-type evaporator with a small liquid holding capacity has a low height; the static pressure of the liquid column is no more than 15 kPa, which reduces the power required by the material pump as well as the temperature difference losses associated with the liquid column. 5. It is easy to install and maintain, offers flexible operation, and has a high degree of redundancy. The installation of a set of four-effect evaporation concentration equipment generally takes 7–12 days. The plate bundle can be disassembled for cleaning and replacement, or the number of plates can be increased or decreased as needed to alter its heat exchange area. 6. Easy inspection: Since the equipment is all located on a relatively small flat area, it is very convenient to conduct inspections; a PLC control system can also be added. 7. Low cost of equipment investment: As a new type of evaporation device, the price of plate evaporators depends on the evaporation capacity. Generally, the price is based on a plate evaporator with a 10T evaporation capacity and three effect units made of 304 material; the higher the evaporation capacity, the lower the price.