PROSPECTS OF APPLYING HEAT PUMPS UPON CARRYING OUT COMBINED MASS TRANSFER PROCESSES

Abstract

The prospects of using heat pumps for the separation of mixtures by combination of different mass transfer processes are considered, which is associated with the supply and removal of thermal energy. The heat released in some stages can be successfully used at other stages of separation. Using heat pumps makes it possible to change the temperature potentials of heat fluxes, which greatly improves the efficiency of regenerative heat transfer. If a vapor phase forms when carrying out mass transfer processes, it can be used as the working fluid of the heat pump of the open type. If mass transfer processes are carried out without the formation of vapor phases, it is necessary to apply heat pumps of the closed type, in the circuit of which a variety of intermediate heat transfer fluids circulate. The article briefly describes the features of mixtures separation by a combination of fractional crystallization by evaporation, dissolution, fractional melting, distillation and rectification with the use of compressor heat pumps of open and closed type. In order to assess the energy efficiency of different variants of combined processes and to compare them with traditional separation it is suggested to use the relative equivalent consumption, which makes it possible to take into account the different cost of thermal and electric energy required for carrying out the considered process of separation. Different variants of organizing the combined separation are compared. It was found that their energy efficiency significantly depends on the composition of the initial mixture, on requirements for the separation products, as well as on the position of the eutectic point on the liquid - solid phase charts. It was shown that the use of heat pumps allows reducing several times energy costs, as well as the consumption of refrigerants for combined separation.