Cryo-condensation solutions for VOC abatement and recovery

Preventing the release of volatile organic compounds and increasing the recovery of solvents with CIRRUS® VEC

Increasingly strict air emission regulations challenge industry to tighten control over the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the oil and gas industry, this affects terminal operators, oil and gas transportation companies, oil and gas storage companies, and oil and gas transfer operators. Cryogenic condensation is a promising answer. It uses the cooling power of liquid nitrogen to condense the VOCs in a vent or process gas stream. The condensed VOCs can then be captured and either routed back to the process or further treated. With 25 years of experience and hundreds of installations worldwide, Linde is a trusted partner for your VOC handling needs. Learn more about our technology in the video below.

CIRRUS®: Flexible, compact and reliable cryo-technology for VOC abatement

The fine and specialty chemical sector and the pharmaceutical industry use solvents to manufacture products and to distribute/store final or intermediate products. This can pose a challenge for manufacturers, who must ensure that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not unwittingly released into the atmosphere.
As VOCs represent a serious health and environmental hazard, their release is strictly regulated by law. Manufacturers must also control evaporation losses, as their products can otherwise literally vanish into thin air.

CIRRUS vapour emission control (VEC) is a modular, flexible, compact and efficient waste gas treatment solution.

CIRRUS portfolio - flexible design 

We offer a wide range of complete cryogenic solutions.
•    CIRRUS VEC comes in three different sizes (handling flow rates up to 1000 Nm³/h) to ensure the perfect fit for your needs and comprises a pre-condenser for the biggest unit (M500).
•    The CIRRUS VEC system can be easily expanded by simply adding a new module.
•    It is suited to both batch and continuous processing applications.
•    To ensure fast deployment, each CIRRUS VEC module features its own control system and is delivered pre-assembled and pre-tested.
•    A broad operating range also allows greater flexibility to adapt quickly to changing plant conditions.
•    Emission levels can be reduced by lowering the condensation temperature setpoint.
•    The units comply with all relevant EU and US regulations.

Pre-Condenser (PC500) 

During cryogenic condensation, freezing can occur inside the main cryogenic condenser. Depending on the specific VOC mixture, this can be caused by the high freezing temperature of certain VOCs or a high level of water vapour. This freezing impacts process efficiency as it lowers the operation time of the cryogenic condensation unit(s) and increases the time needed to defrost them.
The PC500 pre-condenser is an upstream option for our CIRRUS® M500 VEC system portfolio and provides an extended operating window for the complete system. It eliminates high freezers and water and also reduces process temperatures to as low as –30°C (–22°F).

The main benefits of using our pre-condenser are:
•    Provides a safe and uninterrupted operation of the whole setup.
•    Presents a potential to save money by increasing the run time of the main units.
•    Allows for nitrogen re-use in other processes such as inerting and blanketing.
•    Lower OPEX and CAPEX compared to alternative technologies.

Key advantages

•    Minimising the release of VOCs into the atmosphere
•    Recovering valuable VOCs to save costs
•    Efficient use of nitrogen, since it can be used twice:
•    Cryogenic cooling with liquid nitrogen for VOC emission control
•    Inerting with the gaseous nitrogen that exits the cryogenic cooling process
•    Supporting all sizes or configurations thanks to modular design
•    VOC recovery with CIRRUS

Have a question for our experts?