Vacuum Evaporator

A vacuum evaporator concentrates product by removing water without boiling it. Because the boiling point of water falls under vacuum, evaporation takes place well below the atmospheric boiling temperature; as a result the lycopene-derived colour of tomato and the volatile aroma compounds of fruit are largely preserved. The darkening and cooked taste seen in open, high-temperature concentration do not occur. Capacity is measured not by product flow but by water evaporation rate: approximately 80 – 190 kg water/hour. This distinction matters in practice, because how much product you can process depends on the difference between inlet and target brix. Electrical consumption is 6.5 – 20 kW and steam consumption approximately 100 – 230 kg/hour. The body is AISI 304 stainless steel and brix control runs automatically via PLC. The choice of effect count is an operating-cost decision. A single-effect system is simpler and requires lower investment; upgraded to multiple effects, vapour from one effect heats the next, lowering steam consumption per kilogram of water removed. In plants with limited steam infrastructure or where energy cost is decisive, this difference drives payback. Batch size and the heat sensitivity of the product also determine effect count and residence time. The evaporator is the heart of tomato paste and fruit concentrate production and sits mid-line: washing, sorting, crushing and pulp separation precede it; sterilisation and aseptic filling, or jar/can filling, follow. Automatic brix control and multi-effect upgrade are available as options. ProcessTürk engineers this unit as part of a tomato paste and processing line. Effect count and capacity are determined by your target brix, product heat sensitivity, existing steam infrastructure and batch size.