July 15, 2021, a short-range evaporator, used for a technical demonstration, was erected in front of the VTA headquarters office building in Germany. Standing at 12 meters tall and weighing nearly 30 tons, let's take a look back at the history of this evaporator.
VTA was established in 1994 and soon after, it received an order from an Indonesian client to produce red palm oil by separating saturated fatty acids from palm oil using short-path distillation technology.
Red palm oil is a type of vegetable oil derived from the fruit of the palm oil tree. The oil is red in color, hence the name Red Palm Oil.
Red palm oil is rich in beta-carotene. Studies show that it can lower cholesterol levels in the human body and reverse atherosclerosis caused by plaques, protecting the heart. Additionally, red palm oil has strong antioxidant properties, reduces inflammation, acts as an antibacterial agent to prevent wound infections, and accelerates healing.
But red palm oil is also rich in saturated fatty acids. The use of short-path distillation technology is to remove the saturated fatty acids from red palm oil and to protect the beta-carotene to a great extent, minimizing loss.
This project included two short-range evaporators, each with an area of 50 square meters, and utilized 35 kg of saturated steam as the heating medium, which was highly challenging at the time. The evaporator jackets required special design, and the internal diameter of the evaporators reached 2 meters.
These two short-range evaporators and related auxiliary facilities were successfully put into operation in Indonesia in 1999, until production ceased in 2005 due to various external reasons.
In 2007, VTA repurchased these two evaporators, refinished them through a reprocessing and renovation, and sold one to a French client for the production of biodiesel.
The VTA leadership has decided to retain the equipment at VTA for technical display purposes.
On July 15th of this year, VTA hosted a simple yet grand ceremony, installing the evaporator on a steel structure in the open space in front of the VTA office building's plaza. Visitors can observe the internal structure of the short-range evaporator from below, and lighting has been set up to enhance visibility.
VTA's General Manager, Oliver Stoll, Technical Director Bernhard Senninger, and the local mayor, Ludwig Waas, along with local media, attended the installation and completion ceremony of the evaporator.
VTA General Manager Oliver spoke at the grand opening ceremony.
This evaporator is a masterpiece of technology. Its installation here today holds significant meaning. For our employees and customers from around the world, this evaporator beautifully showcases VTA's technology, superior product quality, and the extensive experience we have accumulated over nearly three decades.
