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Water is Life

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T ES
A rs
P L nera to
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O ater Ge
B S
E esh W
TU for Fr

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TUBES OR PLATES ???
for Fresh Water Generators
It is the aim of this article to disperse on horizontal tubes. To a smaller extent flows on comparably large evaporation
some confusion which might have been vertically arranged plates of special surfaces.
created by publications about so-called design are used. - The flow of the feed water flow
advantages of plates above tubes in The discussion whether tubes or plates along the evaporation surfaces is driven
single or multiple effect distillers. are better for MED falling film evapora- by gravity mainly, creating only a low
Single Effect Evaporators tors is somewhat academic with respect turbulence in the liquid films.
to cruise ships. Except very few cases - The seawater concentration is
There is no doubt that the plate type
falling film evaporators with tubes do raised by factor 1.4 1.5, and the eva-
single-effect evaporation has developed
not exist on cruise ships. poration takes place during heat trans-
to a well-proven technology for cargo
ships, replacing except in some re- There is only one supplier applying the fer. The heat transfer surfaces have to
maining special applications the con- falling film principle in evaporators for be kept coverd with liquid, in spite of
ventional tube-type single-effect rising- cruise ships, but he uses plates instead comparably high vapour volumes de-
film or submerged-tube evaporators. of tubes as evaporation surface, for this velop.
These plate evaporators work according reason called MEP instead of MED - An over-concentration of the sea-
to the rising film evaporation principle. (please refer to fig. 1). water during evaporation is physically
The new multi-effect plate-type distill- Most of the evaporators on board of possible and will occur in case of not
ers for cruise ships operate according to cruise ships work according to the MSF enough feed water is injected.
the falling film principle. This makes a principle with tubes as condenser sur-
- Cloggings in the feed water distri-
remarkable difference. faces, only a minor portion applies the bution system create local dry areas on
rising film principle with vertical tubes. the evaporation surfaces and are hardly
Multi-Stage / Multi-Effect Distillers
A realistic comparison of plates and recognisable for the operator. Access to
The technology of multiple-effect and tubes for evaporators on cruise ships the distribution holes in evaporation
multistage flash evaporators on board of must consider the principle differences plates requires dismantelling of plates !
large cruise ships (up to 900 m3/d per between the MED and the MSF proc-
- MED-plants are principally more
unit) has its origin in the land-based ess. This is the main aim of this article.
sensitive to under-dosing of anti-scale
seawater desalination. The mostly ap-
chemicals than MSF plants.
plied technologies are the Multi-Stage Scale Formation
Flash evaporation (MSF, for large ca- MED-evaporators are principally more - It is probably a risky procedure to
pacities up to approx. 50000 m3/d per dismantel and re-arrange hundreds of
often subject to scaling than MSF evaporation plates with all the rubber
unit) or the Multi-Effect Distillation evaporators. Possible reasons are:
(MED, up to approx. 10000 m3/d per seals (claimed as a practicable method
unit). The latter process operates in - The falling film principle requires a for the removal of hard scales).
most cases with falling film evaporation uniform distribution of low feedwater

Seawater
Feedwater

Steam

Diesel
Jacket water

Seawater

Jacket Water Return

Distillate

Condensate Brine

Fig. 1: Flow Diagram of 4-Effect MED (MEP) Evaporator, Effect 1 operating as Flash Evaporator

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MSF evaporators do not know any of end, but not the thermal efficiency of temperature. A temporary higher heat
these problems and risks (please refer to the evaporator. consumption can in many cases - be
fig. 2): MSF: The thermal efficiency of a MSF easier tolerated than a lack of fresh
- During heat transfer the seawater is evaporator is a matter of the number of water production.
flowing under pressure with approx. stages and the condenser surfaces instal-
1.5 1.8 m/s through the tubes and the led per stage. By playing with these 2 Resumee
final heaters (high turbulence). design parameters, every requested - Plates are not the better choice for
- Evaporation takes place after heat- thermal efficiency can be considered. evaporators on cruise ships
ing by means of stepwise pressure and For the above reasons no evaporation - Tubes are the safest solution when
corresponding temperature reduction in process - neither MED(MEP) nor MSF combined with the MSF principle (tur-
the stages. The seawater concentration - can claim principal advantages con- bulent flow of pressurised seawater
is thus rising by factor 1.06 only. cerning the achievable thermal effi- inside tubes during heat transfer, evapo-
- Hard scales can as any over- ciency (nevertheless done for the MEP). ration in separate flash chambers).
concentration is physically impossible - - MSF-Once-Through evaporators
never occur in MSF evaporators. Utilisation of different Heat Sources are easy to operate. Over-concentration
- The concentration factor and the All types of evaporators - MED, MEP of brine or dry-out of evaporation sur-
feedwater distribution are due to the or MSF - can be coupled to all kinds of faces are physically impossible.
once through principle applied - not heating sources. In this respect again - SERCK COMO MSF-evaporators
selectable or adjustable parameters (as none of these evaporation principles has on cruise vessels have been in many
the case in MED plants) and can thus special advantages (as unjustly claimed cases running for years without cleaning
not be subject to a wrong design, mal- for the MEP system). even (nevertheless this is not a recom-
operation or lack of maintenance. mendable method of operation)
Effect of Scaling/Fouling
- Scaling or fouling of condenser
Thermal efficiency As soon as the fouling reserves in an tubes occurring after extremely long
MED: The thermal efficiency in a MED evaporator are consumed due operation periods only do not
MED plant is mainly determined by: to scaling, the production can be main- automatically lead to a reduction of the
tained by increasing the temperature at water production.
- number of evaporation effects the hot end only. This method is not
- feed water / distillate flow ratio always practicable (for example in case - The majority of all evaporators
installed on board of cruise ships up to
- presence / size of feed water pre- of motor water heating) and also dan- now is of MSF-type (most of them
heaters in the effects gerous because thus the scaling process
is accelerated. Without such measures a delivered by SERCK COMO), and this
- design / surface of final condenser drop of production has to be tolerated. trend is for the reasons discussed
- temperature difference between hot Whenever a MSF evaporator is fouled above - going to continue.
and cold end of the plant or scaled (what does not happen very (The author: Dr. Rainer Greffrath,
The size and design (tubes or plates) of often), the water production can be Managing Director of SERCK COMO
the heat transfer surfaces affect the maintained by increasing the heat input, GmbH)
required delta-T between hot and cold without having to raise the brine top
Steam
Seawater Return

Diesel
Jacket Water

Seawater
Condensate

Distillate
Jacket Water Return Remixing
Brine Return

Fig. 2: Typical Flow Diagram of a SERCK COMO MSF Evaporator for a Cruise Vessel

This document, and more, is available for download at Martin's Marine Engineeirng Page - www.dieselduck.net
Water is Life

MSF 1400/12
Output distillate 1400 m/d

MSF 740/7
Output distillate 740 m/d

Quality is our Objective.


EN ISO 9001 DIN EN ISO 9001 ANSI/ASQC Q9001

QUAL
TER IT
IS
EG

Y
AS S
DS R

URANC
LOY

NATIONAL
ACCREDITATION
L

OF CERTIFICATION
ISO
9001 BODIES

MSF 600/6 Approval Certificate No.: 202595 / 22. April 1996


Output distillate 600 m/d

SERCK COMO GmbH GERMANY


Pankower Str. 16 - 18 Tel.: ++49-4152 / 805- 0 e-mail: Post@Serckcomo.com
D-21502 Geesthacht Fax: ++49-4152 / 805-165 Internet: www.serckcomo.com
This document, and more, is available for download at Martin's Marine Engineeirng Page - www.dieselduck.net

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