GIFSQ Tools · Module 17 — Food Processing, Thermal Engineering & Utilities · Tool 330 of 500
Balance an evaporator: from the feed mass and the feed and product solids, work out the concentrated product mass, the water evaporated and the concentration factor.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Product mass (kg)
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Water evaporated (kg)
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Concentration factor
Equation: Solids in = solids out, so product = feed × feed solids ÷ product solids; evaporated = feed − product; concentration factor = product solids ÷ feed solids.
Method: Overall and solids mass balance for a single-effect evaporator, standard food process engineering practice (Heldman and Singh).
Assumptions: no solids are lost or carried over with the vapour; solids percentages are mass percentages; steady state.
Limitations: entrainment, fouling losses and boiling-point rise are not included; multi-effect systems need a balance per effect.
Rounding: masses and concentration factor to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Overall and solids mass balance for a single-effect evaporator, standard food process engineering practice (Heldman and Singh).
Assumptions: no solids are lost or carried over with the vapour; solids percentages are mass percentages; steady state.
Limitations: entrainment, fouling losses and boiling-point rise are not included; multi-effect systems need a balance per effect.
Rounding: masses and concentration factor to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 1000 kg of feed at 10% solids concentrated to 40% solids: product = 250.00 kg, water evaporated = 750.00 kg, concentration factor = 4.00.
Enter values above to see results.
Milk is typically evaporated from about 12% to 45–50% solids before spray drying; tomato juice from about 5% to 30% solids. Tool 330 of 500 — GIFSQ
