Optimal heat exchanger network synthesis with operability and safety considerations

This article presents a novel energy flow redistribution methodology to achieve optimal operation of heat exchanger networks. The proposed method aims to manipulate the propagation path of a disturbance through the network to reduce its impact on utility consumption. Specifically, an optimization problem is formulated to generate new duty targets for heat exchangers of the network when a disturbance is encountered. Subsequently, a feedback control system is designed to track these targets by manipulating bypasses around the process heat exchangers. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is illustrated with the help of three benchmark examples. The proposed approach can handle disturbances in inlet as well as target temperature, inlet flow and heat transfer coefficient of individual heat exchangers.

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“…Let us consider an example HEN 20 with three hot and three cold streams, as shown in Figure 1. Table 1 shows the stream data for this example.…”

Section: Motivating Examplementioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal operation of heat exchanger networks through energy flow redistribution

Mohanan

Jogwar

2022

AIChE Journal

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“…[49] In the available literature, various methods for safety considerations for sustainable heat exchanger network (HEN) design are available. [50,51] These lack the consideration of inherent safety for earlier design stages of process life cycle for HEN, which has been tackled by Pasha and co-authors. [49] However, it lacks the consideration of cost aspects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable process design for heat exchanger network considering inherent safety and process economics

Athar,

Shariff,

Rashid

et al. 2024

Can J Chem Eng

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Process lifecycle has several stages, including process design covered in multiple stages. Process economics is a vital factor in finalizing the process design. Besides economics, inherent safety is an important concept contributing to sustainable process design generation. The inherent safety concept has been applied via equipment characteristics for individual equipment. Since a method considering inherent safety with equipment aspects and process economics has not been available, therefore, a new method has been proposed, namely sustainable process design for heat exchanger network (SPDHEN), to integrate inherent safety, equipment aspects, and process economics. SPDHEN uses indexing to identify the critical heat exchanger, which is then examined via hazard analysis for an explosion. For unacceptable hazards, inherent safety principles are engaged to generate design alternatives for which process economics is examined too. The final design would be inherently safer with the best profit margin. The proposed method has been studied for the ammonia synthesis loop. It is concluded that the explosion hazard has been reduced to a tolerable level by using inherent guide words with a marginal compromise on quantity of ammonia produced, that is, 0.32%. This method is straightforward and can be useful for process engineers to generate sustainable process designs for heat exchanger networks considering safety and process economics simultaneously.

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