Tubular and plate evaporators for sugar factories

German sugar factories have advanced greatly in multiple steam utilization for juice concentration through enlargement of the heat transfer surfaces in the evaporator station. Decreasing the driving temperature drops per effect was conditioned on the development of different types of evaporators. The architecture of the heating chamber in sugar industry evaporators is based on either tubes or plates. Heat can be transmitted either to a rising steam/liquid mixture or a falling trickle film. This paper explains the differences in respect of the heat transfer in these evaporators and presents two cases in a discussion of the cost aspects of acquiring, operating and maintaining Robert and plate evaporators (rising film evaporators) as well as falling film evaporators and plate falling film (trickle film) evaporators.