Pinch Analysis of an Industrial Milk Evaporator with Vapour Recompression Technologies Energy Research Centre University of Waikato New Zealand Dr Tim Walmsley A.Prof Michael Walmsley Dr James Neale Dr Martin Atkins 2015 www.energyefficiencynz.com
Overview 1. Personal Introduction 2. Technical Topic Introduction 3. Dairy Processing Complications 4. Milk Evaporators with Vapour Recompression 5. Conclusions 2
New Zealand Congratulations! You ve made it over half-way to NZ from Europe North Pole 14,574 km 18,500 km 8,900 km 2,581 km 5430 km South Pole
New Zealand Geography Many Mountains 75% of NZ is mountainous or hilly, numerous volcanoes and lakes
New Zealand s Population 4.5 million people, with 1.2 million in Auckland North Island (3.5 million) 2300 km South Island (1 million)
University of Waikato Est. 1964 6
Our Team s Research Philosophy Focus on meaningful research for industry Deliver engineering solutions Industry Benefits to Industry Work with industrial producers & suppliers Influence industry best practice / standards University Research, Science & Technology Outputs 7 7
TECHNICAL TOPIC INTRODUCTION 8
New Zealand s Major Industries National Economy GDP approx. US$182 billion/yr Raw Material based Tourism #1 industry!!! Dairy, Meat, Wine & Fruit Forestry, Wood, Panels Pulp & Paper Agri-Biotechnology Aquaculture & fisheries Aluminium, Steel & Plastics Energy, Gas & Petrochemical Machinery & SS fabricators Electronics & Software Higher education Film production & arts
New Zealand Exports $12 Billion Milk Powder >75% University of Waikato, NZ 10
Process Heat Use in NZ Dairy Conversion Losses Fuel Supply Coal & N.G. MP Process Demand
Milk Powder Production - The Largest Energy Sink Steam Steam Treated Concentrated Powdered milk Multi-effect evaporators milk Spray dryer & fluidised beds milk 10% solids 52% solids 96% solids Condensed water 64 C Vapour 54 Warm, humid air 75 C
Highly Integrated Milk Treatment / Evaporator 13
New Zealand WMP/SMP Plants: Specific Fuel Use 10 9 Builds in the last two decades 8 7 Current Best: Built 2014 Goal -30% <3.5 GJ f /t Goal 6 5 4 3 Fuel Use for Process Heat (GJ/t p ) HOW? 2 1 Performance of NZ Milk Powder Plants 0 How can we break the 5.2 GJ/t p barrier? 14
PINCH ANALYSIS & TOTAL SITE OF DAIRY PROCESSING: COMPLICATIONS 15
Seasonal, Variable Milk Supply 100 Oct - Nov 80 % Max Site Production 60 40 20 0 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 Winter Spring Summer Autumn Winter Weeks July June Weeks PRES'09 Rome 28 August 2015 16
Semi-continuous Plant Operation Streams vary in both Temperature and Flowrate Unsteady due to many factors: 300 250 Production rate changes & variations Regular cleaning Multiple plants mc p (kw/ C) 200 150 100 50 Source (Cow Water 3) Sink (CIP Water) 0 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 Time (mins) 17
Distance 18
Fouling, Hygiene, Product Quality Tight residence time, temperature and humidity control needed 19
Culture: Why Change? 20
Identifying Viable Industrial Solutions Problems: 1. Variable milk supply, semi-continuous operation, distance 2. Product quality 3. Culture Solutions (not exhaustive): 1. Prioritise direct integration within plants Indirect integration between plants 2. Continuing dialogue with industry and suppliers 3. Focus on industries needs (not your academic needs only) 21
INTEGRATION OF MILK EVAPORATOR SYSTEMS
Today s Focus: Milk Evaporator System Steam Steam Treated Concentrated Powdered milk Multi-effect evaporators milk Spray dryer & fluidised beds milk 10% solids 52% solids 96% solids Condensed water 64 C Vapour 54 Warm, humid air 75 C
General Analysis Methods / Concepts Develop mass and energy balance model of the milk powder plant for the latest builds (~30 t p /h plant) Apply Pinch Analysis / Total Site concepts to identify areas for energy savings Minor impact on process focus on energy recovery network Major impact on process what is possible for energy reduction? Questions needing answers What are the process specific requirements? esp. product related requirements. What other challenges will face implementation?
Pinch Concepts: Evaporator Integration Traditional vs Vapour Recompression T* [ C] 4-effect evaporator T* [ C] Background processes 2-effect evaporator with TVR H [kw] (a) 4-effects above pinch (b) 2-effects above pinch with TVR H [kw] 25
Integrated Vapour Recompression Technologies Mechanical vs Thermal T [ C] T [ C] Q steam T con d T con d Q bleed MVR W comp TVR T evap T evap Q fla sh Q con d Q fla sh H [kw] (a) MVR, T feed > T evap (b) TVR, T feed > T evap More utility (enthalpy) input more T low grade waste Q steam T [ C] [ C] heat out: Vapour flows (i.e. bleed, condenser), Condensate H [kw] T con d T con d W TVR adds MVR 10 20 comp times more enthalpy TVR than MVR T evap T evap Q bleed 26 Q con d
Specific Cost Analysis of MVR and TVR Recompression Method COP (GJ evap /GJ ut ) Cost gross ($/t evap ) Potential q HR (GJ h /t evap ) Cost net(best) ($/t evap ) 1-effect TVR 3.5 $4.19 /t evap 0.671 $0.00 /t evap 2-effect TVR 5.0 $2.94 /t evap 0.470 $0.00 /t evap 1-effect MVR 50.0 $0.91 /t evap 0.047 $0.62 /t evap 27
Current Evaporator HEN Design 8 Whole Milk 232 t/h PHE 13 TT 73 t/h 9.4 MW 3.0 MW 70 183 t/h 30 65 45 CTWS To HW Tank 248 t/h PCD 9.7 t/h MVR 1 Eff. 1.9 MW IP Steam 3.0 t/h 78 Concentrate To Dryer 242 t/h HW84, 1.1 MW (1.7 t/h steam) 70 85 DCH FV TVR 2 Eff. 53 80 95 IP Steam 5.8 t/h CTWS System (Air Pre-heat) 4.0 t/h Air Heater 1 Evaporation: 90% MVR effect / 10% TVR Section effect Cooling Tower / Heat Recovery System TW 41 30 3.1 MW Air Heater 2 0.9 MW HW 3.6 MW 54 Tank PHE Cond. 65 50 Direct Steam / Vapour Contact 53 TT 6.9 t/h 53 Heat Treatment Section Evaporator IP Steam 3.4 t/h 50 To HW Tank 30 198 t/h CTWS Condenser 4.6 MW
Process Constraints for Milk Preheat Milk Heat Treatment (before evaporators) significantly affects powder s functional properties Constraints: High thermophile growth, 45 65 C Heat exchanger fouling issues, 65 80 C Tight residence time at heat treatment temperatures > 80 C Industrial Solutions: Direct vapour contact heaters Duplicate heat exchangers plate HX or shell & tube HX 29
T [ C] T* [ C] Evaporator Plant: Composite Curves -Internal Evaporation / Condensation Removed a ΔT min = 1 C 100 80 MVR and TVR Utility Use Q ele,mvr = 2.1 MW Q h,tvr = 2.8 MW Vapour Bleed Milk Flash Q h,savings 0.6 MW b 100 75 Q h MVR Ef 60 Condenser Current Set-up 50 40 20 Pinched with Current Set-up 25 Upgrad Vapo 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 H [MW] 0 0 30
Initial Pinch Analysis Results Additional heat recovery is constrained to 0.6 MW Pinch Temperature = 80 C High temperature milk flash prevents more heat recovery BUT, direct vapour contact >80 C = process constraint What process changes can yield energy reduction? Change evaporator pressures? Change the way milk is preheated below 80 C? Change vapour upgrade technology? Let s understand evaporators integrated with vapour recompression 31
Evaporator Plant: Grand Composite Curve 100 75 Q h,target = 3.5 MW Milk flash Vapour bleed (MVR) T* [ C] 50 Condenser (TVR) 25 0 Q c,target = 4.8 MW (Q export = 1.6 MW) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] 32
Evaporator Plant: Grand Composite Curve -Excess Evaporation / Condensation Plotted 100 Q h,target = 3.5 MW 75 MVR Effect Milk flash Vapour bleed (MVR) T* [ C] 50 TVR Effect Condenser (TVR) 25 Q c,target = 4.8 MW (Q export = 1.6 MW) 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] 33
T* [ C] Evaporator Plant: Grand Composite Curve -Thermal Vapour Recompression 100 75 Q h,target = 3.5 MW MVR Effect Incorrect TVR Heat Pump placement TVR 2 DSI Upgraded Vapour TVR Effect TVR 1 DSI 50 25 0 Q c,target = 4.8 MW (Q export = 1.6 MW) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] Replace with MVR effect 34
T* [ C] Evaporator Plant: Grand Composite Curve -Other Heat Pump Application Correct Heat Pump placement 100 75 Steam Q h,target = 3.5 MW MVR Effect TVR Effect TVR 2 DSI TVR 1 DSI Upgraded Vapour 50 25 0 Q c,target = 4.8 MW (Q export = 1.6 MW) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] 35
How to Further Reduce Steam Use in the Evaporator Plant 1. Use TVR combined with Direct Steam Injection (DSI) for final milk pre-heat, >80 C Reduces net DSI steam usage 2. Integrated all effect(s) with MVR Eliminates TVR effect Thermal energy replaced by electricity in a cost effect way Reduces emissions highly renewable electricity in NZ 3. Optimise evaporator pressures / temperatures for improved heat recovery and product quality 36
1. TVR / DSI Milk Pre-heat System Energy efficient system design suggested by GCC but requires more capital: energy-capital trade-off 78 C 2.0 MW 5.7 MW 65 C 73 C DCH Milk FV To Effect 1 95 C DSI 3.3 MW DCH Steam reduction of 1.7 MW compared to evaporator current design Milk feed temperature to the evaporator decreases by 7 C, i.e. less flashing 37
2. Integrate All Effects using MVR MVR inputs less enthalpy, therefore less waste heat for preheating dryer airflows Vapour bleed / condenser loads are significantly reduced Effective use of TVR requires: Cascading of heat to low temperature sinks (currently dryer airflows) But, other heat sources are available (dryer exhaust, refrigerator cond.) Simple: specific net cost of MVR is much lower TVR Incorrect placement of a thermocompressor Long-term operational energy costs outweigh capital savings 38
3. Optimise Evaporator Temperatures T evap of 1 st effect is very important for heat recovery The vapour bleed temperature from 1 st effect defines a key ceiling for heat recovery in the milk pre-heat system Current temperature of 1 st effect is 65 C (tube-side); other plants successfully run at 68 C better for heat recovery MVR work is minimised at higher T evap,sat. Upper temperature constraint, as above W comp m evap k k 1 RT evap o P P cond evap k 1 k 1 39
T* [ C] T* [ C] New Grand Composite Curves Evaporator Effects Integrated with: Combination of MVR / TVR effects A 100 Q vap = 1.7 MW Q h,target = 2.3 MW B 100 Q vap = 3.0 MW Q h,target = 0 MW 80 60 TVR MVR Effect TVR Effect TVR 1 DSI MVR 80 MVR Effect TVR Effect 60 Q ele = 0.3 MW TVR 1 DSI 40 40 20 0 Q c,target = 2.8 MW (Q export = 1.6 MW) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] Q c,target = 0.8 MW (Q export = 0.8 MW) 40
T* [ C] New Grand Composite Curves Evaporator Effects Integrated with: Both MVR effects 100 80 Q vap = 2.2 MW TVR Q h,target = 2.0 MW 60 MVR Effects 1 & 2 40 20 0 Q c,target = 0 MW 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 H [MW] 41
New HEN Design using Pinch Concepts 8 Whole Milk Cow (3) To Cond. PHE (Duplicate) 35 t/h 232 t/h 13 14.5 MW 70 218 t/h TT 65 Cow (2) From Cond. 239 t/h PCD 3.4 t/h 235 t/h 73 DCH FV 85 78 95 DCH IP Steam 3.5 t/h 183 t/h 150 t/h MVR 1 Eff. 2.0 MW 70 kw MVR 1 Eff. 24 3.7 t/h 73 0.4 MW 70 Cow (1) Cow (3) Cow (2) To PHE 33 t/h 35 COW (1) To Cond. 1.3 MW 70 183 t/h 78 55 CIP Water Concentrate To Dryer HW84, 1.0 MW (1.5 t/h steam) 42
Impacts on the Site-wide Energy Balance Steam reduction of 6.4 MW (0.82 GJ f /t), in exchange for 0.6 MW extra electricity Net energy cost reduction, in trade-off with increased capital Emissions reduction: New Zealand electricity is 80% from renewable energy sources Boiler makeup water substantially decreases DSI in the evaporator plant decreases by 9.7 t/h Higher per cent condensate return, higher boiler efficiency 43
Impacts on the Site-wide Energy Balance Dryer exhaust heat needed for minimum energy site Direct integration with dryer inlet air: 4 MW of heat Refrigeration heat recovery also possible; need increased refrigerator condenser temperature Other intermittent sinks may also be viable with indirect integration: e.g. CIP water, milk recon., tank wash water, etc. Potential thermal energy consumption: <3.5 GJ f /t Approx. savings = MYR ~4 M (US$1 M) for 30t/h plant 44
So, Can we achieve our energy target? YES, its feasible, but more to be done Current Best: Built 2014 Goal -30% <3.5 GJ f /t Builds in the last two decades Goal 10 Fuel Use for 9 Process 8 Heat (GJ/t p ) 7 6 5 4 3 Need dryer heat recovery HOW? 2 1 Performance of NZ Milk Powder Plants 0 How can the SEC of Milk powder production break the ~5 GJ/t p barrier? 45
Summary Industry and process constraints / information formulated from multiple sources GCC identifies appropriate use of heat pumps; includes evaporators with vapour recompression Identified thermal energy reduction of 6.4 MW (electricity up 0.6 MW) = net energy cost reduction
Thank You! Questions? 47