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Abstract
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In this study, a detailed exergy evaluation of a commercial tomato paste plant with a double-effect
evaporator was conducted in order to provide information on the system thermodynamic inefficiencies.
Using energy and exergy balance equations, all components of the plant were analyzed
individually and their exergetic parameters were calculated on the basis of actual operational data. The
required data were obtained from Nazchin tomato paste factory located in Tehran, Iran. In addition, it was
attempted to quantify the exergy utilized for processing a given amount of the tomato paste. The results
showed that over 82% of the total destroyed exergy in the plant occurred in the boiler combination as the
main component wasting exergy. Furthermore, exergy analysis introduced this combination as the main
equipment rejecting exergy to the ambient where 4.79% of its total exergy input was lost. The rational
exergy efficiency of the first- and second-effect evaporative units was found to be 65.33% and 56.60%,
respectively. The specific exergy consumption of the tomato paste production was also determined as
16.83 MJ/kg. Generally, exergy concept and its extensions could be served as a powerful assessment
technique to optimize the design and performance of multiple-effect evaporation systems employed in
food industry.
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