A sugar factory in Italy will replace a gas-fired boiler and instead capture and reuse vapour that would have been lost.
Before, the gas boiler’s role was to produce the steam needed to concentrate the sugar juice. Now waste vapour will be captured and compressed to do the same thing by a system called ‘Mechanical Vapour Recompression’ (MVR), which uses electricity.
The system is provided by Turboden, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group company.
Italia Zuccheri’s Co.Pro.B., an agricultural cooperative operating two sugar factories and managing the entire beet-to-sugar value chain, aims to replace fossil-fuel-based steam generation with a more efficient, more sustainable and electrified solution.
By reusing internally generated steam, the solution will significantly reduce natural gas consumption while ensuring the same steam quality, reliability, and improved overall process efficiency.
A key requirement from Co.Pro.B. was the installation of the MVR within an existing space with strict dimensional constraints. Turboden’s engineering team therefore developed a compact solution to fit within the space, while maintaining accessibility and service clearances.
The system will recompress steam from 0.38 bar(a) and 80°C to 1.8 bar(a) and 117°C, delivering a total output of 22 tons per hour. By reusing internally generated steam, the solution will significantly reduce natural gas consumption while ensuring the same steam quality, reliability, and improved overall process efficiency.
