Method and system for distilling alcohol in an alcohol production process

A system for distilling alcohol in an alcohol production process, the system comprising:

• a beer column that receives ethanol-laden beer, the beer column distills the ethanol-laden beer at a subatmospheric pressure to produce a vapor, primarily including ethanol, and whole stillage;
• a first separation device that is situated after the beer column and that receives the whole stillage and separates thin stillage from the whole stillage;
• a first effect evaporator system that includes one or more evaporators that receive all or a portion of the thin stillage from the first separation device and that includes one or more other evaporators that receive a condensate, the one or more evaporators configured to evaporate water from the thin stillage to produce first-concentrated thin stillage and the one or more other evaporators configured to evaporate water from the condensate;
• the first effect evaporator system configured to produce a first effect steam from the evaporation of the water from the thin stillage and the condensate, and wherein the condensate includes at least a portion of second and/or third effect condensate;
• a second effect evaporator system that is situated after the first effect evaporator system and includes one or more evaporators, which receive the first-concentrated thin stillage and evaporate water from the first-concentrated thin stillage with heat from the first effect steam to produce second-concentrated thin stillage, second effect steam, and the second effect condensate;
• and
• a third effect evaporator system that is situated after the second effect evaporation system and that includes one or more evaporators, which receive the second-concentrated thin stillage and evaporate water from the second-concentrated thin stillage with heat from the second effect steam to produce a syrup, third effect steam, and the third effect condensate;
• wherein the beer column receives at least a portion of the third effect steam from the third effect evaporator system, whereby the third effect steam provides sufficient heat for distilling the ethanol-laden beer in the beer column to produce alcohol.