Processing
GEA Introduces eZero Dairy Evaporator
Image courtesy of GEA Group.
GEA Group has launched the eZero Dairy Evaporator, which operates with zero CO₂ emissions.
This solution is designed to meet the increasing demands of the dairy industry, which is facing challenges such as high energy prices and stricter climate targets.
Evaporators are among the largest energy consumers in dairies. They are used in the production of whole and skim milk powder, infant formula and whey powder. Reducing their energy consumption can impact energy costs and overall plant sustainability. The eZero Dairy Evaporator enables these energy savings without compromising product quality.
GEA's eZero Dairy Evaporator aligns with the company's commitment to eliminating dependency on fossil fuels by transitioning to renewable energy sources and empowering customers to produce more sustainably. Depending on plant operation specifics, resources and the electricity emission factor, the new system can reduce energy consumption up to 60% and eliminates CO₂ emissions entirely, compared to conventional mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) evaporators.
Thermal vapor recompression (TVR) is typically applied to multi-effect evaporators powered by live steam, while mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) is more energy efficient and uses electricity to recompress and recycle product vapor in single-effect evaporators. Both technologies rely on steam for heating products before evaporation. The eZero evaporator is compatible with MVR systems and can also be applied to TVR evaporators after conversion to MVR technology. It is also adaptable to new and existing systems.
To convert an existing TVR evaporator to use the eZero, the thermocompressor is replaced by a standard compressor, while reusing the evaporator's calandria and the high-speed mechanical compressor for the evaporation process. This conversion is the first step in reducing steam consumption and CO₂ emissions.
The eZero evaporator takes a further step by integrating an ammonia heat pump to transfer the heat from the vapor at the condenser to a low-pressure steam generator or flash vessel. This process naturally creates two loops of water: a cold loop (approximately 35-45°C) that cools the condenser water loop, and a hot loop (approximately 80-90°C) that provides heat for the heat treatment system. Hot water is flashed to produce low-pressure steam, which is then recompressed to higher pressure for efficient product heating.
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