The ideal number of stages in a multiple-effect evaporator system is determined by____________________?
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Answer: A. Cost benefit analysis
Explanation
The optimum number of stages in a multiple-effect evaporator system is determined by economic analysis. Adding more evaporator effects reduces steam consumption but increases the initial capital investment for equipment. A detailed cost benefit analysis balances these capital costs against operational steam savings to find the optimum. Multiple-effect evaporators reuse vapor from one stage to boil liquid in the next stage, saving energy. Capital costs rise with each additional effect due to extra vessels, piping, pumps, and control systems. Steam savings diminish with each subsequent effect, making very large numbers of stages economically impractical.
Chemical engineers use optimization algorithms to design efficient evaporation trains for large-scale desalination or concentration. Failing to perform cost-benefit analyses can lead to over-designed systems with excessively long payback periods. Industrial evaporator design directly impacts the thermal efficiency and operating profitability of chemical plants. Floor area availability imposes physical constraints but does not dictate the fundamental economic stage count. Terminal parameters define operating temperatures and pressures rather than the optimal economic number of effects. Required evaporation capacity sets the equipment size but is balanced by economics to choose the effect count.
- Subject
- Engineering
- Category
- Chemical Engineering
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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