Applications of plate evaporators in the fermentation industry

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The fermentation industry is a very broad sector within the light industry. The fermentation industry includes food additives, pharmaceuticals, biologics, flavorings, alcohol, chemical products, etc., with its main products being organic acids, organic acid salts, sugar alcohols, and functional proteins. Plate evaporators are also being used more and more widely in the fermentation industry. Evaporation or evaporation-crystallization devices are required in processes such as fermentation broth concentration, fermentation product extraction, and treatment of fermentation wastewater. Common plate-type fermentation evaporation processes include: single-effect evaporation, multi-effect evaporation, TVR evaporation, MVR evaporation, and evaporation-crystallization combined processes. When plate evaporators are used in the fermentation industry, energy savings and reduced consumption are required due to the generally large scale of production in this sector. Many manufacturers choose to use three-effect or four-effect evaporation. As the number of evaporation stages continues to increase, the cost of the equipment rises, while the reduction in operating costs is not significant; moreover, the time it takes for the material to pass through the equipment also increases. Therefore, the number of evaporation stages should be determined based on practical considerations and reasonable principles. The materials used in the fermentation industry are mostly organic substances and organic salts, which have relatively low boiling points and contain many heat-sensitive compounds; therefore, fermentation evaporators are suitable for MVR plate-type evaporation and crystallization systems. Fermentation evaporation generally uses a PLC control system, featuring a distributed control structure and modular connections, which ensures simple operation and easy maintenance. It enables fully automatic monitoring and control of parameters such as mixing, temperature, pH, defoaming, feeding, pressure, flow rate, and sterilization.