Do this one thing

Write down the material, the steam pressure and the hours this step runs.

Record only these

  1. The material being evaporated or concentrated
  2. Steam pressure or vacuum, and which side the steam heats
  3. The hours this step actually runs
  4. Whether the vapor is process vapor or a separate waste-heat stream

If the material, steam state or hours are still blank, measure or sketch them first. Do not choose a heat pump or vapor recompression from the steam bill alone.

When the duty is clear, open the steam and MVR pathway

Name one evaporator or concentrator before comparing a closed heat pump with open vapor recompression. Steam mass is not useful heat.

Start with one evaporator

Choose one evaporator, concentrator or still. Record what it removes and which steam supply serves it. A plant steam total can feed several duties, so it cannot set the share this one step could change. Tonnes of steam are a mass, not useful heat. Pressure, condensate return and the system boundary also have to be known.

A closed heat pump and open vapor recompression are different routes

A closed heat pump uses electricity to lift a lower-temperature source up to steam or process heat. Open mechanical vapor recompression takes vapor the process itself produces and sends it back as the heating steam. The two are not interchangeable. Neither is chosen until the vapor state, the temperatures the process allows, and the process constraints are known.

Do not change the specified heating utility without process review. A boiling-point rise that has not been measured stays blank; do not fill it in from a similar product.

Bring these records

  • Material, and whether the step removes water or another component.
  • Steam pressure or vacuum, and whether steam touches the product or heats through a surface.
  • Feed and product conditions when they are known. Leave boiling-point rise blank when it is not measured.
  • Operating hours, including cleaning and shutdown.
  • Condensate recovery that already exists.

Choose the next step

If the duty is still unclear, sketch the evaporator and mark steam in, vapor out and condensate. When those are known, open the steam and MVR pathway, then the focused screen. Screening does not size an evaporator or a vapor compressor.

Sources and limits

This is an editorial learning guide, not a plant audit or a measured savings result. Site inputs remain unknown until supplied and checked. Detailed design, procurement, hygienic and pressure-equipment decisions require qualified review. Read our editorial principles.