Abstract
Evaporation processes consume large quantities of energy, which can be dramatically reduced by MVR (mechanical vapor recompression) technology. Traditional MVRs have been applied mainly to concentrating liquid solutions but applications to solid drying have been unknown. In this paper, MVR is redefined as an open cycle steam heat pump, and it is named as VCC (vapor compression and condensation). A prototype VCC dehydrator employing a 7.5kW-wing type compressor was produced. Test results of drying bentonite in the continuous process showed that COPs were around 12.
