GEA meVap®
GEA meVap® Distillation
Mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) solutions for the economization of distillation.
GEA’s meVap® distillation system is an industrial heat pump solution based on proven Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) technology and reduces both energy costs and the carbon footprint.
GEA provides two meVap® Distillation solutions: Secondary circuit compression for steam reuse, and direct alcohol compression for direct heating.
GEA meVap® Distillation icon
Thermal separation processes, such as evaporation and distillation, are energy intensive. In the course of their development, the aim of efficiently using this energy and of reducing costs first led to single-effect plants heated by live steam, then to multiple-effect plants, then to thermal vapor recompression, and finally, to the use of mechanical vapor recompression systems.
In conventional distillation plants, the energy content of the vapor stream produced is lost to a large extent or is only partially reused. In comparison, mechanical vapor recompression allows the continuous recycling of this energy stream by recompressing the vapor to a higher pressure and therefore, a higher temperature. The compressed vapor can be used to heat the reboiler of the column. Instead of live steam, electric energy is used indirectly to heat the plant.
How does GEA help drive decarbonization?
GEA meVap® Distillation integrates seamlessly into diverse industrial environments and supports industrial customers in:
- Reducing energy consumption and lowering dependency on fossil fuels
- Reusing process heat for internal steam demands
- Significantly increasing plant efficiency through intelligent heat integration
By electrifying steam generation and recovering process heat, GEA meVap® Distillation becomes a central enabler on the path toward net zero operations.
How does the meVap® Distillation work?
GEA’s meVap® distillation is designed specifically for primary or secondary circuit compression for steam reuse.
An electrically driven compressor draws in the steam and increases its pressure and temperature in a single or multi-stage configuration. This raises the steam to a higher pressure level, enabling it to be used directly as a heating medium.
The process vapor is recompressed to the pressure of the corresponding heating steam temperature of the reboiler, using a small amount of electrical energy compared to the enthalpy recovered in the vapor. The energy of the vapor condensate is frequently utilized for the preheating of the product feed.
Depending on the operating conditions of the plant, a small quantity of additional steam or the condensation of a small quantity of excess vapor may be required to maintain the overall heat balance and to ensure stable operating conditions, especially during start-up.
Due to their simplicity and maintenance-friendly design, single stage centrifugal fans (supplied as high-pressure fans) are used in distillation plants. They operate at high flow velocities and are therefore suited for large flow rates at vapor compression ratios of 1:1.2 to 1:2. Rotational speeds typically range from 3,000 up to 12,000 rpm. For high pressure increases, multiple fans can be used.
Left: meVap® Distillation plant with head vapor compression; Right: meVap® Distillation plant with closed heat cycle
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Produits associés
GEA meVap® Compression
GEA meVap® Compression offers a powerful, future ready solution to decarbonize industrial steam generation.
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