Simulation of an agitated thin film evaporator for concentrating orange juice using AspenPlus (TM)

The focus of this research is on the concentration of orange juice in agita ted thin film evaporators (ATFE). The AspenPlus(TM) simulation program was used to develop a model of the ATFE. A rigorous heat exchanger model, Heatx followed by the rigorous 2-phase flash model, Flash2, was used to simulate the dominant effects of the ATFE. The thermo-physical properties of orange juice are not available in the AspenPlus(TM) databank. They were, therefor e, determined experimentally and modelled as functions of temperature and s olid content. Heat transfer coefficients were predicted using correlations and measured from process measurements. Experimental and simulation results are presented. The AspenPlus(TM) simulation model using experimentally det ermined thermo-physical properties of orange juice compares well with the e xperimental data from the: ATFE pilot plant. Process measurements were reco nciled using the optimisation features of AspenPlus(TM). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.