Steam Table pans Full size vs Half Size

[optionguru]

I was looking at my oil tank evaporator yesterday and it has 3 full size 6" deep steam table pans. I have another 6" or 7" where I could add another 1/2 size pan which is 6" wide by 20" long. That got me thinking about drop flue and raised flue pans. Would I be better off putting in 7 6" x 20" pans that would have extra surface area for the flue gasses to get to but I would give up some sap to air surface area or 3 12 x 20's with a single 6 x 20. Trying to figure out how to best utilize the 20" x 42" opening of the evaporator arch.

[RileySugarbush]

More surface with sap one side and heat the other is good. Less surface of sap to air doesn't matter so much, unless you take to ridiculous levels like so tall and narrow that the boiling saps shoots out like Old Faithful.

A good middle ground would be several narrow ones in back to act like flue pan and a wider one up front for the syrup pan. There is less burning on the sides of the pans with dilute sap in them. More pans means more ladling though!