Abstract
The study analyses evaporation as a sustainable strategy for vinasse disposal, a subproduct of sugarcane ethanol production. The research aims to establish the sizing of a turbulent mist evaporator with a water evaporation capacity of 180 ton/h. The sizing was carried by the resolution of mass and energy balance equations capable of include the vinasse flash effect, a characteristic phenomenon that occurs in this evaporation design; also, the advantages and disadvantages of a 5 or 4 effects evaporator were analyzed in operational, installed area and energy consumption terms. As a result, for a 180 ton/h water evaporation, the evaporation effect area is 4581 m² and the alcoholic vapor consumption is 77,3 ton/h for a 5-effect design; and an effect area of 4632 m² and alcoholic vapor consumption of 97,6 ton/h are needed for a 4-effect design.