AromaVap
Rely on the Alfa Laval AromaVap plate evaporator for fast, gentle and highly effective concentration of heat-sensitive fruit and berry juices and herbal extracts while preserving valuable aromatic compounds. Processing under vacuum conditions using once-through flow keeps process temperatures low, eliminating the need for recirculation and minimizing the holdup volume. This helps ensure fast startup, minimum residence time, and short emptying time as well as high product quality and yield.
Fast, gentle and highly effective concentration of delicate, heat-sensitive juices and herbal extracts with minimal product loss
- Fast, effective once-through concentration of heat-sensitive fruit and berry juices and herbal extracts
- No loss of product quality during concentration due to gentle handling and low temperatures
- Extracts, concentrates and collects aromatic compounds with no risk of loss with the vapour
- Simple operation with easy-to-access, easy-to-clean heat transfer surfaces
- Hygienic, easy-to-clean design that meets most global food industry standards
Intensify the flavours of heat-sensitive juices as well as herbal extracts with the Alfa Laval AromaVap plate evaporator. This once-through evaporator concentrates product under vacuum conditions while maintaining low process temperatures. This prevents the need for recirculation and reduces hold-up volumes. Low temperatures and short residence times maximize product quality and minimize product loss.
A specially designed aroma extraction module separates and concentrates volatile aromatic compounds, preventing the loss of valuable by-product.
Extremely versatile and compact, the AromaVap plate evaporator is easy to install, operate and maintain and ensures high product quality and yield.
Pilot testing and rentals of evaporation systems
Try before you buy. Get expertise and advice from Alfa Laval engineers for the optimum configuration for your evaporation system, including:
- Detailed water analysis and characterization
- Process and water chemistry modelling
- Benchmark and/or pilot testing for moderate- to high-risk applications
- Detailed material compatibility evaluation
- Sample analysis
- Pilot tests
Visit the Alfa Laval Materials Technology & Chemistry Lab and Test Centre in Lund, Sweden, the Alfa Laval Innovation and Test Centre in Nakskov, Denmark, or rent one of our mobile pilot evaporation systems to conduct onsite trials at your plant.
Key products
Service
Food system services
Alfa Laval Food system services help extend the performance of your food systems by maximizing the performance of your processes. This enables you to:
- Continually improve your operations to maintain competitive advantage
- Focus on uptime, optimization and availability
- Maximize return on investment throughout the life cycle of your food systems
Applications
Boost product quality with the Alfa Laval AromaVap evaporator plate
The Alfa Laval AromaVap evaporator plate is an ideal solution for concentrating heat-sensitive juices, herbal extracts, and other delicate liquids. Operating under vacuum conditions, it ensures low process temperatures, preventing the need for recirculation while minimizing hold-up volumes. This feature maximizes product quality and minimizes product loss by reducing exposure to excessive heat, which is crucial for preserving aromatic compounds.
A specially designed aroma extraction module helps separate and concentrate volatile aromatic compounds, ensuring that valuable by-products are not lost during the concentration process.
Flexible configuration and capacities
Easily configure your AromaVap evaporator plate to your required evaporation duty in terms of processed product, water removal, and in/out concentrations, or let Alfa Laval engineers do it for you. Unlike shell-and-tube evaporators, where capacity is fixed once installed, AromaVap accommodates changing process requirements, and allows for easy capacity adjustments by simply adding or removing plates in the existing frame.
Compact and cost-effective
Compared to shell-and-tube heat exchangers, the AromaVap evaporator plate has a significantly smaller footprint, reducing and simplifying operations, installation, maintenance, and reducing costs. The design ensures low hold-up volumes with fast start-up and emptying times, which translates into higher uptime and higher yield.
Easy maintenance and inspection
The AromaVap is designed for ease of maintenance, with straightforward access to the heat transfer surfaces. The unit's construction allows for quick inspection and cleaning. Inspect the inner workings of the AromaVap from the ground floor. Simply remove the tightening bolts and roll back the pressure plate to access the heat transfer surfaces, and heavy tools are required. Additionally, the AromaVap utilizes glue-free, clip-on gaskets that ensure tight seals and ease of replacement. Due to its low hold-up volume, the AromaVap requires only a small amount of cleaning media for effective Cleaning-in-Place (CIP), further reducing costs.
How the AromaVap plate evaporator works
The Alfa Laval AromaVap plate evaporator utilizes the rising thin film evaporator technology, where the product flows along heated plates to evaporate and reduce its water content. The high turbulence and fluid velocity limit the contact time between the liquid and heating surfaces, preventing overheating and preserving product integrity.
The vapour/liquid mixture leaves the plate heat exchangers and enters a vapour separator, where the vapour phase is separated and direct it to the upper outlet. The remaining liquid is collected and transferred to the next stage for further processing or final extraction.
To prevent recirculation and overtreatment of the product, all effects work with once-through flow, and if needed, use connection boxes. The connection boxes function as intermediate vapour separators, removing the separated vapour and preparing the liquid phase for the next evaporation stage.
Fully automated, the AromaVap uses a centralized programmable logic controller (PLC) to regulate the feed flow of product and steam. This ensures that the final product is extracted at the required concentrationat the last stage of the evaporation.
To further enrich the product’s aroma, the AromaVap features an aroma concentration and separation unit. This unit processes the aromatic condensate extracted from the evaporator, making it available as a valuable ingredient for further processing or as an addition to the final product.
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Explore our range of evaporators
Alfa Laval offers a wide range of evaporation systems from plate evaporators, and rising film evaporators to tubular evaporators and falling film evaporators. Find out what would work for your evaporation needs.
