Evaluate the operational performance and industry application for the final evaporator design at Victoria Mill

Robert evaporators require a minimum temperature difference for effective operation and this progressively increases from ~5 ℃ at the first effect to 25 to 28 ℃ for the final effect. Thus the heat transfer performance of the final effect has the strongest influence on the juice processing rate of the set.

Victoria Mill is installing a 4000 m2 SRI designed Robert evaporator at the final effect position. This is the first installation of this design at the tail end of the set. The design has a large central downtake for the outflow of juice which, together with other features, should ensure that the juice entering the base of the heating tubes is of lower brix than in conventional Robert evaporators. The Victoria Mill evaporator is expected to operate with a smaller temperature difference than a conventional evaporator, under the same juice processing conditions.

Increases in the juice capacity of an evaporator set can delay the need to reduce maceration and filter wash water as the set becomes scaled or allow the operating time between chemical cleans to be extended.

This project has investigated the juice flow profile, the juice residence time and the heat transfer performance of the evaporator. The results are considered in terms of the application more broadly in the industry.