Mechanical Vapor Recompression
Mechanical Vapor Recompression has been a proven technology for evaporation processes in a number of industries. Improvements in the mechanical design of radial fans and compressors make it more and more interesting also for electrification of other thermal processes such as distillation and rectification.
General basics
By increasing a pressure of water or any volatile component vapors, the condensation temperature is increased. Based on this principle a thermal process can be heated with its own vapors after compressing them in a mechanical vapor recompressor.
First choice are radial fans combining rigid design, good efficiencies, sufficient compression rates as well as the ability to handle large volumes.
Nowadays, technical solutions are available to compress mass flows from 500 to more than 100,000 kg/h with compression rates of more than 10 Kelvin per single stage.
Radial fans are also available in explosion proof design following ATEX or IEC guidelines and hence also organic solvents can be compressed, making it highly interesting or suitable for direct compression in distillation and rectification plants.
Benefits of MVR driven plants
- Considerable reduction of OPEX and CO 2 footprint
- Better balance between steam and electrical demand for best utilization of an existing co-gen plant
- Considerable reduction of cooling water demand
- Freedom to select an operation temperature according to process needs
