MVR
also known as mechanical vapour recompression · vapour recompression
Mechanical vapour recompression takes the vapour boiled off an evaporator, raises its pressure and therefore its condensing temperature with a mechanical compressor, and returns it to the heating side of the same vessel. Because the latent heat is recycled rather than discarded, electrical energy replaces most of the steam demand. A small amount of steam is still needed for start-up and trim.
Why it matters in practice
MVR usually wins on operating cost wherever electricity is reasonably priced relative to steam, and it needs no cooling water because the vapour is not condensed against a cooling circuit. The counterweight is that the compressor is the single most expensive and most maintenance-sensitive item in the plant.
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Reference entry GL-MVR. Definitions on this page describe engineering practice in hydrometallurgical process design; they are not a substitute for test work on your own material.