DEVELOPMENT OF A PLATE EVAPORATOR CONDENSER FOR THE MECHANICAL VAPOR COMPRESSION PROCESS

A new mechanical vapour compression concept incorporating a plate heat exchange as evaporation/condenser is described. The evaporator combines the falling film principle with a plate design especially developed to accommodate two-phase flows in the cold as well as the hot side of the evaporator/condenser. The utilization of plates makes it possible to obtain a compact heat transfer area and a uniform liquid distribution without excessive pressure losses. A full-scale prototype unit with a freshwater production capacity of 100 m3/24 hours has been tested in our laboratory. The results are presented and compared to theory and to other experimental results.