Armfield FT22 & UOP20X Evaporators

Armfield is proud to offer two exceptional evaporators designed specifically for chemical engineering education: the FT22 Rising Film Evaporator and the UOP20X Modular Evaporator Series. These advanced systems provide comprehensive solutions for teaching and research applications, ensuring that students gain practical experience with industry-relevant equipment.

FT22 Rising Film Evaporator

The FT22 is a floor-standing unit engineered to replicate the operations of large-scale industrial evaporators. Despite its compact footprint of only 0.65 m², it delivers robust performance, making it ideal for laboratory settings.

This evaporator processes samples as small as 2 litres under production-like conditions, allowing users to observe the effects of heating on newly introduced ingredients. Such capability is crucial for investigating organoleptic and physico-chemical properties, as well as preparing products for daily taste trials to ensure consistent raw material quality.

Key Features:

• Single-Tube Heat Exchanger: Mimics industrial units with multiple tubes, providing practical training on modern evaporation equipment.
• Integral Clean-In-Place (CIP) System: Facilitates easy cleaning and maintenance, ensuring hygiene and operational efficiency.
• Data Logging and Analysis: Comes with integrated software for process control and data logging, enhancing the educational experience.

The FT22’s design ensures that small quantities of liquid products can be concentrated efficiently, making it suitable for applications involving juices, milk products, extracts, and effluents.

UOP20X Modular Evaporator Series

The UOP20X represents a versatile, computer-controlled modular system tailored for chemical engineering education. It offers a wide range of configurations, including rising or falling film; single or double effect; and forward, backward, or parallel feed.

This flexibility allows educators to demonstrate various evaporation processes within a single system, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of industrial evaporation techniques.

Notable Features:

• Service Unit: Houses one or two evaporator columns, with options for either rising or falling film configurations.
• Heating Options: Available in two variants—one utilizing an internal electric-powered pressurised hot water system and another requiring externally supplied steam as the heating medium.
• High Vacuum Capability: Enables low-temperature evaporation, preserving heat-sensitive materials.
• Comprehensive Instrumentation: Equipped with sensors and controls for monitoring temperatures, conductivity, and vacuum levels, all displayed via an integrated control console.

The UOP20X’s modular design and advanced features make it an invaluable tool for conducting mass and energy balance experiments, comparing economies of different evaporation methods, and performing process control exercises.

Applications in Chemical Engineering Education

Both the FT22 and UOP20X are integral components of Armfield’s evaporation series, designed to enhance chemical engineering teaching. They provide practical, hands-on experience with evaporation processes, allowing students to explore the effects of various parameters on product concentration and quality.

These systems are particularly beneficial for:

• Investigating Heat Effects: Understanding how different heating conditions impact product properties.
• Process Optimization: Exploring methods to improve efficiency in evaporation processes.
• Product Development: Preparing small batches of concentrated products for testing and analysis.

By incorporating the FT22 and UOP20X into their curriculum, educational institutions can provide students with a thorough understanding of evaporation processes, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between rising film and falling film evaporation?

In rising film evaporation, the liquid feed enters the bottom of the heated tube and rises due to vapour generation, forming a thin film along the tube walls. In contrast, falling film evaporation involves the liquid feed entering at the top of the tube, flowing downward under gravity, and forming a film as it evaporates. Each method has its advantages, with the rising film being suitable for low-viscosity liquids and falling film preferred for heat-sensitive materials.

2. Can the FT22 handle different types of products?

Yes, the FT22 is designed to concentrate various liquid products, including fruit and vegetable juices, milk and dairy products, non-flammable extracts, and effluents. Its versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications in food technology and chemical engineering.

3. How does the UOP20X facilitate process control studies?

The UOP20X is equipped with comprehensive instrumentation and computer-controlled features, allowing users to perform process control exercises. The included educational software provides configurable PID controllers, enabling students to study the dynamics of process control in evaporation systems.

4. What are the space requirements for installing these evaporators?

The FT22 requires only 0.65 m² of floor space and is designed to fit easily into rooms of standard height. The UOP20X, being a modular system, has a larger footprint, with overall dimensions of 2.5 m in height, 1.5 m in width, and 0.9 m in depth. It’s advisable to ensure adequate space for installation and operation.

Discover the Armfield Advantage

Armfield’s FT22 Rising Film Evaporator and UOP20X Modular Evaporator exemplify our commitment to high-quality, educational equipment that bridges the gap between academia and industry. These systems provide hands-on experience, allowing students to understand industrial evaporation techniques in a controlled learning environment.

With features that enable process control, data logging, and real-world application, both evaporators are ideal for research, product development, and education in chemical and food engineering fields. Their versatile configurations, compact design, and industrial-grade performance make them essential tools in university and research laboratories worldwide.

Why Choose Armfield?

For over 60 years, Armfield has been a trusted provider of innovative engineering and technology-based educational solutions. Our evaporators are designed, manufactured, and tested to meet the rigorous demands of academic institutions and industrial training programs.

When you invest in an Armfield system, you get:

 Comprehensive educational support with process control and data analysis tools
 Reliable and robust engineering, ensuring long-term use with minimal maintenance
 Scalable configurations, allowing multiple evaporation methods in one unit
 Expert technical support and dedicated after-sales service

Whether you need an evaporator for teaching, research, or product development, Armfield provides a proven, industry-leading solution.

Get in Touch

Discover how the FT22 Rising Film Evaporator and UOP20X Modular Evaporator can enhance your chemical engineering teaching and research. Our team is happy to assist with technical specifications, pricing, and product demonstrations.

Contact us today at sales@armfield.co.uk 

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