Equipment:Thin-Film Processor KONTRO

High Heat Transfer

This feature is particularly suitable for processing highly viscous materials. Owing to the rotor blades which render thin films uniform and stir materials, a high heat-transfer coefficient can be ensured for high-viscous materials, as well as for low-viscous materials.

Short Residence Time

This feature is ideal in processing heat-sensitive materials. The liquid is processed in the form of thin film and concentrated up to a required concentration within a very short time.

Suitable for Vacuum Evaporation

This feature is advantageous in processing heat-sensitive materials or high boiler.
Processing in the form of thin film protects materials from a boiling temperature rise due to liquid head and assures evaporation at comparatively low boiling temperatures determined by the vacuum level in the processing system.

Free from Scaling ... proof of continuous operation

This feature offers an advantage in processing highly viscous materials or slurry.
Forcible agitation by rotor blade refreshes the heat-transfer wall with new liquid from time to time, and the processor is protected from scaling. Particularly, the Hitachi-Sevcon Thin-Film Processor is ideal for processing slurry liquids.

FEATURES

(1) Tapered shell produces back pressure to stabilize quality of the liquid film.

Residence time of liquid can be optionally controlled by changing the liquid feed rate, allowing optional control of the concentration ratio.
Owing to the stability of liquid film, high concentration ratio can be obtained from only one pass of material.
Back pressure protects the liquid film from dry spots, and the liquid from overheating and burning.

(2) Adjustable film thickness

Clearance between the blade tip and the shell inner wall can be changed by shifting the rotor horizontally; thus, the processor can be operated to satisfy any processing requirements.

(3) Capable of processing highly viscous material

(max. viscosity of concentrated product-50,000 C.P.)

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION

This feature is ideal in processing heat-sensitive materials. The liquid is processed in the form of thin film and concentrated up to a required concentration within a very short time.

Suitable for Vacuum Evaporation

The Horizontal-Type Hitachi Kontro Processor is a product of technical cooperation with the KONTRO Company, Inc. (U.S.A.).
The rotor blades rotate inside a reverse-tapered , horizontal shell, maintaining a slight clearance with the shell. The rotor blades are held by precise bearings at both ends of the shaft. The shaft seal is provided with the double mechanical seals.
Liquid material is supplied by a pump, and a thin film of liquid is formed in the clearance between the blade tips and the shell by centrifugal force produced by the rotor blades. The liquid film is agitated by the blades while it is passed on the heat transfer wall. Passing on the wall, the liquid film evaporates, heated by a heat medium filled in the jacket. The evaporated vapor is led between blades to the vapor outlet, while the concentrated material is discharged from the product outlet. The most unique feature of this processor is a reverse tapered shell.
The liquid material is firmly pressed against the tapered shell by the centrifugal force, which is turn produces a slight backward vector pressure component.
The important point is that the thin space is kept full at all times, and under high turbulence and back pressure (backward vector pressure) to avoid overheating, dry spots, in-turn, and burn-on.
Clearance between the blade tips and the shell inner wall can be adjusted by shifting the rotor horizontally.
The tapered shell type processor is the type Hitachi produces most often. However, Hitachi can also provide cylindrical shell type processors for low concentrate ratio applications.

FEATURES

(1) Tapered lower half of shell produces back pressure to stabilize the quality of liquid film.

Liquid is protected from overheating and burning. Quality of liquid film is protected from deterioration.

(2) Adjustable liquid-film thickness

By shifting the rotor position vertically, clearance between the blade tips and the tapered shell wall can be optionally controlled.

(3) The "counter current liquid-vapor flow" design

This design is particularly advantageous when liquid-vapor equilibrium is the major concern regarding the system. Steam stripping is also possible by blowing steam to the shell bottom.

(4)The vertical structure of the rotor makes it possible to manufacture large processors of up to 50m².

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION

The Vertical-Type Hitachi Kontro Processor is also a product of technical cooperation with the KONTRO Company, Inc, (U.S.A,).
The shell is composed of a straight shell and a tapered shell which is slightly distanced from the rotor blade tips rotating inside of it. The rotor is held by an upper bearing and a lower carbon bearing, and the shaft seal is complete with a double mechanical seal.
Liquid material is pumped and supplied to the upper side of the straight shell before it is distributed along the circumferential direction by the distributor located on the upper part of the rotor.
Then the liquid flows down along the heat-transfer wall. Flowing liquid is spread against the heat-transfer wall by centrifugal force produced by the rotor blades while being forcibly agitated.
Heated by the heating medium in the jacket, liquid evaporation occurs. Evaporated vapor is allowed to escape between the blades, passes the inner space of the distributor and is drained oft through the mist separator, into the vapor chamber and vapor outlet. While the quantity of liquid component decreases as the liquid is forced downward, the tapered wall (lower half of heat-transfer wall) produces a force vector by the centrifugal force.
This force vector acts as back pressure against the gravity, and lowers speed of the liquid flow, contributing to improved stability of the liquid film, In this way, the liquid is concentrated to the required concentration before it is flowed down from the product outlet. Clearance between the blade tips and the tapered shell wail can be adjusted by shifting the rotor vertically. The tapered shell type processor is the type Hitachi produces most often. However, Hitachi can also provide cylindrical shell type processors for low concentrate ratio applications.

FEATURES

(1) Particularly suitable for processing high-viscous material

The rotor blade automatically acts to feed the processing liquid; thus, a liquid film is forced to move and is discharged even though it may persist against a natural flow by gravitational force. Processing capacity is extended up to high-viscosity which is able to attain 2 million C.P.

(2) Concentration can be continued even when the material loses fluidity

Certain material may nearly lose its fluidity in the course of concentration. For example, if a solvent liquid has a low boiling temperature, the processing temperature may be limited below the boiling temperature at a concentration density, resulting in fluidity loss of the material under processing. However, forced motion of the material allows further concentration and increases the boiling temperature of the solvent liquid, until the material is turned to a melted condition.

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION

The Hitachi Inclined Blade Type Thin-Film Processor is Hitachi's innovative development for processing highly viscous material.
This processor is provided with a cylindrical shell with jacket and a rotor with blades which rotates inside the shell, maintaining a slight clearance between the blade tip and the shell wall. The rotor with blades is supported by an upper bearing and a lower carbon bearing. To drive the highly viscous material which remains undisturbed against gravity, the blades are inclined, so that a spiral curve is formed vertically.
Liquid material is supplied from the upper side of the shell.
The rotor blade vigorously agitates the material at high force, At the same time, the inclined blades feed the highly viscous material downward along the shell wall. A uniform and stable liquid film is formed while it is fed downward on the heat-transfer wall. Meanwhile, the heating medium in the jacket heats and causes the liquid to evaporate and the concentrated material is discharged from the product outlet. The evaporated vapor is allowed to escape through space between the blades before it is exhausted into the vapor outlet.

FEATURES

(1) Particularly suitable for processing slurry

The swinging blades scrape sludge deposited on the shell wall, protecting the liquid (even when it is a type of sludge) from forming a solid on the heat-transfer wall . Thanks to this operation principle, very high heat-transfer efficiency is maintained.

(2) Very thin but stable liquid film

The processing liquid is spread against the shell wall by the swinging blades, ensuring stability of the film quality even at very high concentration.

STRUCTURE AND OPERATION

The cylindrical shell is provided with an inner rotor with swinging blades. The rotor is supported by an upper bearing and a lower carbon bearing, and the shaft seal is complete with a double mechanical seal or a gland seal. The sealing system is selected in accordance with the operating pressure and the processing condition. The swinging blades are square, plane blades hinged by upper and lower pins. The blades are pushed against the shell wall, driven by centrifugal force while they wipe along the wall. This blade action converts the processing liquid into liquid film.
Liquid material is pumped and supplied to the upper side of the shell, distributed uniformly in the circumferential direction, and flows down along the wall by gravitational force. The flowing liquid is spread against the shell wall by the swinging blades and forced to form a thin film. Liquid evaporation occurs, heated by the heating medium in the jacket. As the liquid approaches the shell bottom, the quantity of liquid component is reduced; however, the blades spread the concentrated liquid against the wall in order to make the film increasingly thin; thus, film quality is kept constant against the liquid component decreases. Even if sludge is deposited on the shell wall, the swinging blade scrapes off the sludge, allowing continuous operation of the processor until the material is solidified to a powder. The evaporated vapor is allowed to escape through the rotor inner space and is exhausted through the inner space of distributor. The demister, which rotates with the rotor, separates the mist from the vapor before it is exhausted to the vapor outlet.
Hitachi can also provide inner condenser type Sevcon thin-film processor distillation, etc.