ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08

Module03:BuildingblocksofPINCHTechnology
Lecture08:ThresholdProblems
Keywords:Threshold

Therearesomespecialcategoryofproblems,knownasthresholdproblems,donothave
a pinch to divide the problem into two parts. Threshold problems only need a single
thermal utility (either hot or cold but not both) over a range of minimum temperature
differencerangingfromzerotothresholdtemperature.

For example, in Fig.3.26(a) the problem which is at T

min
= T
threshold
requires only one
utilityi.e.hotutilityofQ
H
amount.WhenT
min
T
threshold
asinthecaseofFig.3.26(b)at
positions A and B the hot utility demand is still Q
H
. In the case of A two levels of
hot utility is required. In the case of position B the hot utility demand is Q
1
and Q
2

sum of which is equal to Q

H
. Hence it can be concluded that for T
min
T
threshold
the
energydemandisnotafunctionofrelativepositionsofHotandcoldcompositecurves.
Thisisaweaknessofpinchanalysis[1,2].However,thisweaknesscanbesupplemented
ColdUtility
T
H
H
o
t

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

coldUtility=0
T
H
H
o
t

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

Q
2

HotUtilityincreasing
T
min
=T
threshold

A
D C
B
B
H
T
min

HotUtility
T
threshold

Q
H
Q
H

Q
1
Q
H
=Q
1
+Q
2

Coldutilityincreasing
(a)
(c)
(b)
A B C D
Fig.3.26(a),(b)&(c)ThresholdproblemsfordifferentT
min
values
ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08
throughexergyanalysiswhichprovidesthelostinsight.ForaandBpositionsofcold
compositetheexergyneedsarestronglyaffected,becauseofthedifferenttemperature
levels[2].

Fig.3.27(a)showsathresholdproblemforwhichhotutilityiszero.Itonlydemandscold
utilityuptoT
threshold
.Fig.3.27(b)showstheeffectofenergydemandintermsofcoldand
hot utilities if the cold composite curve is shifted horizontally to positions A and C.
At position B which is at T
min
= T
threshold
the hot utility demand is zero whereas the
cold utility demand is Q
C
. When the cold composite is shifted to position A where
T
min
<T
threshold
itdemandsQ
C1
coldutilityatahigherlevelandQ
C2
coldutilityatalower
level. Where, the sum of Q
C1
and Q
C2
being equal to Q
C
. For the position C where
T
min
> T
threshold
the process demands both cold and hot utilities. Thus in this case also
for T
min
T
threshold
the cold utility demand is constant and hot utility demand is zero
whichisshowninFig.3.27(c).

IncontrasttothethresholdproblemFig.3.28showsapinchedproblem.Inthisfigure
both hot and cold utilities are required even if T
min
is reduced to zero( Fig.3.28(b)).
Further,boththeutilitiesareafunctionofT
min
.

B
(b)
T
H
H
o
t

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

A
C
Q
C1
Q
C
Q
C2
T
min
=T
threshold

B
Q
C

(a)
T
H
C
o
l
d

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

HotUtility=0
ColdUtility
H
T
min

HotUtility
T
threshold

Q
H

Q
C
=Q
C1
+Q
C2

(c)
A B C
Fig.3.27(a),(b)&(c)ThresholdproblemsfordifferentT
min
values
T
min
T
threshold

T
min
T
threshold

ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08

Threshold problems can be divided into two broad categories for purpose of design. In
thefirsttype,theclosesttemperatureapproachbetweenthehotandcoldcompositesis
at the nonutility end and the curves diverge away from this point(Fig.3.29(a) &(b)).
Thesecondtype,thereisanintermediatenearpinch,whichcanbeidentifiedfromthe
compositecurvesasaregionofclosetemperatureapproach(Fig.3.29(c)&(d)).

T
min1

Q
Hmin
Q
Cmin

(a)
T
H
C
o
l
d

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

HotUtility
ColdUtility
H
T
min

Q
Hmin

(b)
a
a
T
min1

HotUtility
Fig.3.28(a)&(b)showsapinchedtypeproblem
Q
Cmin

ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08

Capitalenergytradeoffforthresholdproblems

Fig.3.30 shows the fixed costenergy cost trade off as a function of T

min
. It can be
clearly observed that the optimum value either appears when T
min
is at T
threshold
or
morethanT
threshold
.ItneverhappenswhenT
min
<T
threshold
.ThisisbecausewhenT
min

T
threshold
theoperatingcostsareconstantsinceutilitydemandisconstant.Fig.3.30(a)
shows that optimum is at T
threshold
where as Fig.3.30(b) shows that it is at location
whereT
min
>T
threshold
.Inthiscasethereisademandforboththeutilitiesandthusthe
problemwherethereisapinch.However,inthecasedemonstratedinFig.3.30(a)there
isnopinch.

It can be noted that although threshold problems common and these do not have a
process pinch, utility pinches can be introduced in such problems by the induction of
multipleutilities.

T
H
C
o
l
d

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

HotUtility=0
T
H
H
o
t

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

ColdUtility=0
T
H
C
o
l
d

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

HotUtility=0
(a)
(d) (c)
(b)
Fig.3.29(a),(b),(c)and(d)Differenttypesofthresholdproblems
T
H
H
o
t

u
t
i
l
i
t
y

ColdUtility=0
ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08

Thresholdproblemsaregenerallyhandledindesignasmultiplepinchproblems.

Example01

A four stream threshold problem is given in Table 3.9. The Hot and cold composite curves are
giveninFig.3.31.ThehotutilitydemandforthisproblematT
min
equalto10Ciszeroandcold
utility demand is 239.5 kW. Fig.3.32 shows the hot and cold utility demand as a function of
T
min
andthevalueofT
threshold
.

T
min

C
o
s
t
FixedCost
Energycost
(operatingcost)
TotalCost
T
threshold
(a) OptimumatT
min
equaltothreshold
T
min

C
o
s
t
FixedCost
Energycost
(operatingcost)
TotalCost
T
threshold
(b) OptimumatT
min
greaterthanthreshold
Fig.3.30Optimumvalueofcapitalenergytradeoffforthresholdproblems
ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08
Table3.9:FourstreamproblemutilitypredictionforT
min
equalto10C.
Nameofthestream SupplyTemperature
Ts,C
TargetTemperature
Tt,C
CP
kW/C
H
kW
Hot1 190 55 3.5 472.5
Hot2 155 40 1.8 207
Cold1 20 140 2 240
Cold2 70 150 2.5 200

T,C
190
155
150
140
70
55
20
40
0 100 200 300 400
500 600 700
H,kW
Coldutility=239.5kW
HotUtility=0kW
Fig.3.31HotandcoldcompositecurvesforthethresholdproblemgiveninTable3.9
Fig.3.32Hotandcoldutilitydemandandthresholdtemperatureforproblem
giveninTable3.9
10 20 30
40
50 0
300
200
150
100
50
0
250
H,kW
T
min

ThresholdTemperature
36.7C
3
6
.
7

239.5kW ColdUtility
HotUtility
ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08
Example02

AfourstreamthresholdproblemisgiveninTable3.10.TheHotandcoldcompositecurvesare
giveninFig.3.33.ThecoldutilitydemandforthisproblematT
min
equalto10Ciszeroandhot
utilitydemandis267kW.Fig.3.34showsthehotandcoldutilitydemandasafunctionofT
min

andthevalueofT
threshold
.

Table3.10:FourstreamproblemforutilitypredictionforT
min
equalto10C.
Nameofthestream SupplyTemperature
Ts,C
TargetTemperature
Tt,C
CP
kW/C
H
kW
Hot1 350 290 3.5 210
Hot2 400 290 1.8 198
Cold1 150 350 2 400
Cold2 290 400 2.5 275

T,C
Fig.3.33HotandcoldcompositecurvesforthethresholdproblemgiveninTable3.10
400
T,C
350
150
290
0 100
700
600 500 400 300 200
H,kW
HotUtility=267kW
ColdUtility=0kW
ThresholdProcesses Module03 Lecture08

References

1. GranWallandMeiGong,EXERGYANALYSISVERSUSPINCHTECHNOLOGY,ECOS96,
June2527,STOCKHOLM.Efficiency,Costs,Optimization,RoyalInstituteof
Technology,Stockholm,Sweden,June2527,1996
2. Sama,D.A.,1995a,Secondlawinsightanalysiscomparedwithpinchanalysisasa
designmethod,Proceedings,SecondLawAnalysisofEnergySystems:Towardsthe
21
st
Century,E.Sciubba,andM.J.Moran,eds.,Circus,Rome,pp.373406
3. Linnhoff March, Introduction to Pinch Technology Targeting House, Gadbrook
Park,Northwich,Cheshire,CW97UZ,England
4. ChemicalProcessDesignandIntegration,RobinSmith,JohnWiley&SonsLtd.
5. Ian C Kemp, Pinch Analysis and process integration, a user guide on process
integrationforeffectiveuseofenergy,IChem
E
,ElsevierLimited,2007.
6. AngelMartnandFidelA.Mato,Hint:Aneducationalsoftwareforheatexchanger
networkdesignwiththepinchmethod,EducationforChemicalEngineers3(2008)
P:614

Fig.3.34Hotandcoldutilitydemandandthresholdtemperaturefor
problemgiveninTable3.10
10 20 30
40
50 0
300
200
150
100
50
0
250
H,kW
T
min

ThresholdTemperature
51.5C
5
1
.
5

267kW
ColdUtility
HotUtility