First field‐test results from a full‐scale industrial water vapour chiller.

After a total of almost 20 years research and development, a first test full‐scale industrial water vapour chiller unit with a new axial compressor has been installed at a production site. This paper will present the preliminary results of the first six months of test operation. We will describe the system and the principle in the water vapour unit. The compressor is special in the sense that it is an axial compressor specially designed for water vapour from scratch, and furthermore no oil or grease is used in the bearing or
elsewhere in the compressor. This feature enables the integration of the compressor in industrial food processing application or water purification systems. The system is instrumented in order to measure a large number of parameters. The paper will discuss the measurements and possible improvements based on the results and experience from the test period. We will also try to make a comparison with traditional chiller solution for the same running conditions.