Evaporation Pilot Plant / Crystallisation Pilot Plant

PPTech own and operate a small pilot plant capable of evaporating up to 300l/h water through a mini- version of a conventional forced circulation evaporator or crystalliser.

The pilot plant consists of a single forced circulation crystalliser vessel, with an internal draft tube type inlet. Energy is provided to the main heater using steam from an electrode boiler which is included in a separate skid. The plant, including provision of required utilities, is skid mounted and suitable to be moved as required. Allowance is made for testing various process parameters especially crystal form, scaling, heat transfer conditions, tube velocities and physical characteristics of the solution / slurry. In addition, the following features are available:

• A vacuum pump enables simulation of multiple effect evaporation, as the body can be operated at various pressures up to full vacuum and associated temperatures;
• T-pieces are provided for testing of materials of construction i.e. such as corrosion coupons;
• A flow meter is provided on the discharge side of the main circulation pump, enabling investigation of the effects of various tube velocities in the main heater;
• The plant can be used to assess crystal growth properties of various feeds.

The Pilot plant is manufactured in very high specification materials, such as Ti Gr 12 for the vessel, Ti Gr 7 Tubes, Teflon lined piping etc. It is therefore resistant to most solutions arising from effluent and or waste streams, as well as acidic concentrates.

With the aid of the pilot plant, Process Plant Technology are able to simulate and evaluate the effect of concentration through evaporation and or crystallisation on most commercially occurring processes and waste streams.