Performance of the upgraded evaporator station at Kalamia Mill

Kalamia Mill has completed a major upgrade of its quintuple evaporator station with replacement of all effects except the first effect. In order to reduce costs, comprehensive modelling was undertaken to determine the appropriate heating-surface areas, with the aim that all effects have the same areas and basic vessel dimensions. The installed evaporators are of the SRI design that provides radial flow of vapour and juice. The replacement evaporators were installed in a staged program prior to the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. Data gathered through the 2024 crushing season for the set, at various stages of cleanliness, have shown the performance exceeds the modelling predictions used as the basis of the design. The performance data, which includes relationships between heat transfer performance and vapour rates, and scaling rates in the individual effects should be useful in specifying future upgrades to evaporator stations in the industry.