DeCarbCH Wiki Technologies - Heat Pumps
Mechanical Vapor Recompression
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Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) is a method which is used when water vapor or steam is being recompressed to a higher pressure and thus also to a higher temperature in order to be able to reuse it in an industrial process. Traditionally this technology was used to re-use waste steam from distillation as a heat recovery technics. MVR can also used to increase steam temperature generated by a steam generating heat pump (SGHP) surpassing the limitation of some SGHPs.
Industrial process steam can be produced using waste at temperature below the required temperature of the steam using a heat pump. If the waster heat is available at a temperature below 100°C but higher than around 60°C, an open loop cycle using water as refrigerant. The cycle is similar to a sub-critical cycle without the condenser as the steam after the compression step will be used in the process. If the waste has a lower temperature (typically below 60°C), but the steam pressure required in the process is high, for example 3bar or 6bar, respectively 120°C or 144°C, a combined may present the optimal efficiency. It consist of combining a sub-critical cycle to use the waster heat and heat and evaporate the water, then mechanical vapor recompression steps are added to reach the desired temperature respectively the saturation pressure.
Two webinars on steam generating heat pump organised in 2023 and recently in March 2024 contains presentation on MVR. The recording of the 2023 Steam Generating Heat Pump Webinar is freely available online: here. Whereas, the recording of the 2023 webinar will be available soon.
[1]: Bless, F.; Arpagaus, C.; Bertsch, S.: Theoretical Investigation of High-Temperature Heat Pump Cycles for Steam Generation, 13th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Jeju, Korea, 11-14 May 2020, postponed to 26 -29 April 2021.
[2]: GEA Wiegand GmbH: EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY – THE STRONGEST ADVANTAGES, Mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) solutions for the economization of distillation, GEA.com (last access March 2024)
Description
Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) is a method which is used when water vapor or steam is being recompressed to a higher pressure and thus also to a higher temperature in order to be able to reuse it in an industrial process. Traditionally this technology was used to re-use waste steam from distillation as a heat recovery technics. MVR can also used to increase steam temperature generated by a steam generating heat pump (SGHP) surpassing the limitation of some SGHPs.
Type of steam compressor
MVR cycles for steam generating
Industrial process steam can be produced using waste at temperature below the required temperature of the steam using a heat pump. If the waster heat is available at a temperature below 100°C but higher than around 60°C, an open loop cycle using water as refrigerant. The cycle is similar to a sub-critical cycle without the condenser as the steam after the compression step will be used in the process. If the waste has a lower temperature (typically below 60°C), but the steam pressure required in the process is high, for example 3bar or 6bar, respectively 120°C or 144°C, a combined may present the optimal efficiency. It consist of combining a sub-critical cycle to use the waster heat and heat and evaporate the water, then mechanical vapor recompression steps are added to reach the desired temperature respectively the saturation pressure.
Webinars
Two webinars on steam generating heat pump organised in 2023 and recently in March 2024 contains presentation on MVR. The recording of the 2023 Steam Generating Heat Pump Webinar is freely available online: here. Whereas, the recording of the 2023 webinar will be available soon.
References
[1]: Bless, F.; Arpagaus, C.; Bertsch, S.: Theoretical Investigation of High-Temperature Heat Pump Cycles for Steam Generation, 13th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Jeju, Korea, 11-14 May 2020, postponed to 26 -29 April 2021.
[2]: GEA Wiegand GmbH: EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY – THE STRONGEST ADVANTAGES, Mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) solutions for the economization of distillation, GEA.com (last access March 2024)
Index
Description
Type of steam compressor
MVR cycles for steam generation
Webinar
References
Related pages
Experts
DeCarbCH experts on this subject: OST-IES
Other Swiss experts: Swiss Admin Page, ETHZ-epse, HEIG-VD-IE