Evaporation Pilot Testing Capabilities at Sulzer’s Lab and Pilot Test Centers

Introduction: Advanced Evaporation Pilot Testing at Sulzer’s Lab and Pilot Test Centers

Effective evaporation plays a crucial role in many industrial separation processes, especially when dealing with temperature-sensitive or viscous products. Sulzer’s lab and pilot test centers, located in Allschwil (Switzerland) and Singapore, provide state-of-the-art pilot evaporation testing services. These facilities enable customers to validate processes, optimize parameters, and confidently scale up to commercial production.

Comprehensive Evaporation Equipment Portfolio

Sulzer’s test centers feature a broad range of evaporation pilot units, each suited for specific process needs:

• Falling Film Evaporators: Glass units (0.12 m²) and stainless steel variants (0.4, 0.8, 1.2 m²) designed for gentle, continuous evaporation with minimal thermal degradation.

• Wiped Film Evaporators: Glass models with surface areas of 0.025 and 0.06 m² and stainless steel units at 0.14 m², ideal for difficult feeds requiring thin film formation and high heat transfer rates.

• Short Path Evaporators: Compact glass (0.05 m²) and stainless steel (0.14 m²) equipment tailored for highly sensitive products where short residence times are critical.

  
  

Test Range and Operating Conditions

Sulzer’s pilot plants operate across wide and flexible ranges to recreate real industrial conditions:

• Temperature: From ambient (20 °C) up to 320 °C

• Pressure: From high vacuum levels of 0.01 mbar up to ambient pressure (1000 mbar)

• Throughput: From small batches of 0.5 kg/h to larger pilot scales of 200 kg/h

Such flexibility ensures that every product’s unique thermal sensitivity and viscosity challenges are addressed properly during pilot validation.

Tailored Pilot Test Procedures

Evaporation pilot tests at Sulzer often follow initial feasibility studies with rotary evaporators or use customer-supplied data to define optimal test conditions. Typical adjustable parameters include:

• Operating pressure and feed flow rates

• Recirculation ratios to maximize efficiency

• Co-current or counter-current vapor and liquid flows

• Use and optimization of stripping gas where applicable

• For wiped film units: blade (wiper) geometry and product take-off systems adjusted for uniform film thickness and high heat transfer

The test results provide critical data to define achievable product concentrations (down to ppm levels), ensure stable film behavior, and optimize equipment design before scale-up.

Why Choose Sulzer’s Lab and Pilot Test Centers for Evaporation?

• Access to cutting-edge pilot evaporation equipment covering all major industrial evaporation types

• Comprehensive lab and pilot services integrating analytical measurement and process expertise

• Realistic pilot testing with your actual feed materials, yielding investment-grade data for scale-up confidence

• Ability to adjust multiple process parameters dynamically under expert supervision

• Support for providing full process guarantees based on validated pilot data

  
  

Conclusion: Confidently Scale Your Evaporation Process with Sulzer’s Expertise

Sulzer’s lab and pilot test centers stand out as industry leaders in evaporation pilot testing, offering unmatched capabilities to handle complex, challenging feeds. By partnering with Sulzer, you gain access to advanced technology, flexible pilot operations, and expert analytical support crucial ingredients to ensure reliable, efficient, and scalable evaporation process designs.

Contact Sulzer today to discuss how our lab and pilot test centers can tailor evaporation pilot testing to your specific process requirements and accelerate your development timeline.