Better than zero

GEA has introduced the eZero, an energy-efficient evaporator for the dairy powder sector

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 have a significant impact on both energy costs and overall plant sustainability. According to equipment manufacturer GEA, its new eZero dairy evaporator enables these energy savings without compromising product quality.

“The development for our new energy efficient evaporator solution was initiated a bit more than two years ago,” says Magali Viaud, GEA head of sales, dairy evaporation. “Our main challenges were firstly to make sure that all phases of the typical production cycle would be covered by this solution. This meant every step, from production to cleaning, start-up, shutdown and re-start after a maintenance stop. Secondly, it was key to create the conditions enabling stable operation.

With the new machine, GEA Group presents an innovative evaporator that considerably reduces energy consumption and that can reduce carbon emissions by up to 100 per cent, the company says. 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. “It is designed both for new and greenfield plants, as well as for existing evaporators. It comes as an add-on to integrate and connect to, an existing plant,” Viaud states. “The dairy market’s growth is under pressure, and therefore, cost-cutting is becoming a dominant concern. In addition, sustainability aspects and decarbonisation roadmaps are becoming the customer’s norms.”

GEA’s Dairy Evaporator eZero aligns with a 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 per cent and carbon emissions by up to 100 per cent compared to conventional mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) evaporators. By means of green electricity, zero CO₂ emissions can be achieved which may also include offsetting measures depending on the energy mix of the electricity provider.

Viaud observes that the first markets will be local to GEA. “We see the European continent as the epicenter of the roll-out of our solution, in particular the Netherlands and France. The UK potential market is still at the exploratory phase. This is linked to strong governmental policies regarding sustainability and carbon emission targets as well as potential available subsidies to support this investment.”

Overall, the move towards keeping costs down, while maintaining carbon neutrality and decreasing emissions will see the increase in demand for the systems, Viaud says. “In the value chain and the competitive environment, cost-effectiveness mastership is an important feature while keeping risk under control. A customer’s dilemma is to find the balance in solutions if they want to stay ahead of competition.”

How it works

Thermal vapour recompression (TVR) is typically applied to multi-effect evaporators powered by live steam, while mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) is more energy efficient and uses electricity to recompress and recycle product vapour 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 crucial step in reducing steam consumption and CO₂ emissions by moving away from fossil fuels.

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.

For more information visit www.gea.com