Electrifying Process Steam Production in LNG Plants: A Techno-Economic Approach to Leveraging Waste Heat Recovery and Mechanical Vapor Recompression

Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) offers LNG producers a practical and high impact pathway to decarbonize process heat systems by upgrading low temperature waste heat into usable steam. While electrification of main refrigeration compression has received most industry attention, process heat remains a major—and largely untapped—source of emissions reduction potential. As noted in the paper, “virtually all heat in LNG plants today is supplied via gas fired boilers,” creating a significant opportunity for waste heat recovery and electrified steam generation.

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MVR systems use mechanical work to compress low pressure water vapor, enabling latent heat from waste streams—often 50–100°C—to be recycled rather than rejected. Because the latent heat for evaporation is supplied by waste heat, only the sensible heat required for compression is drawn from electricity, allowing MVR systems to achieve COP values well above 1. As the white paper explains, “the entire latent heat for evaporation is provided by the waste heat… and only the sensible heat… is provided in the form of compression.”

Beyond core steam duties, MVR can also support carbon capture regeneration loads and recover compression heat from CO₂ export systems. With Siemens Energy’s integrally geared compressor technology enabling multi stage, high reliability steam compression, MVR emerges as a technically viable, economically compelling solution for next generation low carbon LNG facilities.

Download the white paper to learn more.

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