Introduction of a Data‐Based Preliminary Compressor Design for Mechanical Vapor Compression

Abstract The German chemical industry is among the most energy‐intensive sectors, accounting for approximately 8 % of Germany's total energy consumption. One particularly energy‐intensive operation within this sector is distillation, which can be implemented as an open heat pump process. In this configuration, vapor is compressed to a higher pressure level, enabling the reuse of waste heat for process heating. Mechanical vapor compression offers a significant opportunity for the electrification of chemical processes using renewable energy sources. This paper presents a preliminary compressor design approach, based on generic industrial reference compressor. The preliminary design must consider various factors, including different compressor architectures, working fluid properties, and process boundary conditions. Given that the primary objective is to evaluate the overall process potential, generic compressor models are used as the design basis.