HEAT TRANSFER BONUSREPORT Optimize heat transfer networks An innovative method applies heat integration to cost-effectively retrofit bottlenecks utility systems M. THUBAITI, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; N. AL-AZRI and M. EL-HALWAGI, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas Significant research on heat exchanger net work design has yielded much needed improvements. New developments combine debottlenecking and heat integration efforts to improve total energy efficiency. This ease study examines how to improve an existing exchanger network and process performance through a heat integration approach, roper heat integration i essential for efficient operation of any processing fac New approaches. A new debortlenecking approach that ‘overcomes limitations of conventional sequential unit-by-unit debortlenecking approach has been discussed.' This method is simultaneous in nature. Itis based on posing the debottlenecking task as @ process integration task, which links all the design and operating degrees of freedom and exploits synergies among the units and streams to attain maximum debottlenecking, However, heat integration was not considered in this approach. We will introduce a simultaneous approach to the debottlenecking and heat integration. This method can be applied when retrofitting «an existing heat exchanger network with a no/low cost strategy. The presented case study shows the applicability of this approach. Background. Proper heat integration is essential for the effi- cient and cost-effective operation of any hydrocarbon proce: facility. Over the last 30 years significant research contributions have been made in developing design techniques of heat exchange networks. Much of this work has focused on heat integration as the main goal with supporting objectives such as minimizing heat- ing and cooling utilities and total annualized cost of the network. Conversely, less work has been done on reconciling heat integra tion with other processing objectives. A key process objective is debottlenecking. For profitable pro- ‘cesses with tight capacity, there is an incentive to increase prod tion output. As production increases, a processing unit ora process resource may reach maximum capacity and create a bottleneck. In such cascs, itis necessary to “debortleneck’ the process in order t0 raise output. An important class of debortlenecking is the no/low= cost approach in which no new equipment are added. It involves ‘modifying the design and operating conditions and rerouting pro- cess streams, Such modifications may change unit heat duties. Since the focus of this discussion is noflow-coststratcgics, no new heat exchangers, furnace, boilers or cooling/teftigeration systems are to be added to the heat exchange network. This issue poses rwo challenges * Maximizing use of present utilities to avoid installing new boilers, furnaces or cooling/refrigeration systems + Optimizing effective utilization of existing heat exchangers to eliminate the need to add new heat exchangers. To address these challenges, we propose to include a combina tion of heat integration and retrofitting of heat exchange networks (HENS) into the rotal design procedure when debotticnecking a process unit. Such retrofits consider the existing equipment and layout and address the trade-offs among energy savings, modifica tion costs and debortlenecking benefits Retrofit an existing process unit and plant is complicated. Processing units are comprised of numerous pieces of equipment, an utility system and a heat-exchange network. These components are interconnected: modifying any one of the components or equipment items within the system can and will affect part, and possibly the entire system, Retrofiting an heat exchange nevwork may be con- sidered when trying to reduce utility costs of asa result of changes in process streams or other operating conditions within the plant. Ina typical petrochemicalfchemical plant, heat integration isa critical clement of the deboutlenecking process. The difficulty of incorporating heat integration into a debottlenecking design lies within the strong interaction between these two objectives. One ‘way to resolve this conflict is (o adopt a decomposition approach, where certain extent of debortlenccking is related to a particular set of heating and cooling requirements. With the heating and cooling requirements temporarily fixed and all flowrates and temperatures of hot and cold streams are known, the minimum heating and cooling duties may be calculated.2~ The procedure is repeated and a tradeoffs established between the debottlenecking “objectives and heat integration, While this approach may be tead- ily implemented and auromated, it may be limited because it is fail to properly consider the strong interaction between the process and potential heat integration. This sequential approach leads suboptimal solutions Another approach developed a strategy for simultaneous optimiza tion ofthe process and heat integration based on mixed integer linear programming (MILP).° However, while the flowzates of the streams can be treated as continuous variables, the temperatures can only be assumed as discrete values, Others developed 2 model that overcomes is Limitation. The developers proposed a set of inequalities that rely ‘ona pinch-location model and predict the minimum utility require- ‘ments for variable flows and temperatures ofthe process streams and fixed minimum temperature approach. A smooth approximation is used to handle the structural non- differentiabilites that can arise in this formulation. This method is very effective in handling a wide variety of heat integration prob- lems, However, care must be given to cases when the approxima- AYOROCARBON FROCEESNG MARCH 2008 | 109tion at some points becomes ill-conditioned and for cases involv- ing errors associated with the heat loads of isothermal streams and intermediate utilities. A superstructure representation that includes many possible flowsheet alternatives was introduced.” However, the number of variables and constraints that are needed to produce the required mathematical representations can be large:* Thus, simplifying assumptions are required. Another method for the simultaneous optimization of flow- sheet and heat integration was developed by Grossmann etal.” Icis based on introducing integer variables that give a general forrmula- tion for heat loads and composite curves. This method overcomes the limitations ofa smooth approximation method, In a previous paper, a new approach for the simultancous no/ low cost debottlenccking of a chemical plant was introduced." Heat integration was not considered in this approach. We will introduce a simultaneous approach to the debottlenecking and heat integration. This approach will consider the retrofitting of plant's heat exchange network applying a no/low-cost strategy. A case study will demonstrate the applicability of this method. Problem statement. Assume a process with a certain feed- stock of raw material(s) and other processing units, which are referred to as sinks, The set of sinks is SINKS = {uw = 1, Nanish and each sink has a set of input streams (JNPUT,) and a set of output streams (OUTPUT, The input stream, i,» has a flowrate G,, at temperature 7;, Each stream has a set K’of desired components. The kth compo- nent has a composition referted (0 as xj, Each sink has a range of acceptable flowrates and composition of species, and any stream must satisfy that range before being fed to that sink, ie Gn sc, scm i, € INPUT, w€ SINKS ® hcp by chee foambelr the — sean beowthepinch =a, 0<0 (6) pinch poine candidate point candidate while a vanishes only at the tue pinch point. In other words, Hac los by the hor heat gained by che cold streams above the — stream below the pinch 20 p€P (7) pinch poine candidate poine candidate and Heat lost by the hoe heat gained by che cold steams below the stream below the pinch <0 pEP (8) pinch poine candidate poinc candidate Equality applies in Eqs. 7 and 8 only when the pinch point candidate is true. Eqs. 7 and 8 characterize the two pinch points and meet the eriteria needed to promote feasibility of the thermo dynamic exchange. This is in contrast to the infeasibility of the hheat exchange, should the ewo composite streams touch at any pinch point candidate other than at the pinch point that is true. ‘We can thus, eliminate either Eq. 7 or Eq. 8 as being feasible, since the network's toral energy must always be balanced. Eq, 8 and the energy balance equation will therefore be used in this work to identify the true pinch point and ensure thermodynat feasibility. To minimize the utility, we must evaluate the optimum flowrates of all hot and cold streams, and the pinch-point locations within the HEN. As previously discussed, since the problem of locating the pinch and ensuring thermodynamic feasibility entails incorporat- ing energy balance constraints below each pinch point candidate, cone should have explicit expressions for the exchange loads of the hot and the cold below each potential pinch point. Therefore. itis convenient co introduce the following binary integer variables: 2 | MARCH 2008 H+YOROCARBON PROCESSING Lif Tf 7? and 7; <7"), then A, ,=Oand 2; , hor ith stream load below the potential pinch point is, FQ, {(rr- )-o}= 5 q(r?-1;) which represent the correct expression. Having established that, we can present the mathematical formulation of simultancous production maximization and utility optimization as: h point |. Thus, the Simultaneous production maximization. In this exam- ple, the variables are: Objective function: Max G where G; is the production of the desired component subject to units’ performance models:Luey Stand ke K)= =1,2..0Niand ke Kyd,,p,) (15) Bounds on the admissible ranges for the design and operating variables of cach unit are: aye Sd, Sd (16) and an <0, Papoulis, S. Ay, and IE. G in’ process synthesi—Heat-Recovery Networks st debortlenccking, dg, Sone al Proces Dein and Iteration, Second Edition, John Wiley sana, "A seracturl optimization approach Compuen & Chemical Engineering, Vo. (6), 1983, pp. 707-72 Duran, M: A. and IE. Grossmann, *Similtancous optimization and heat ite sgrtion of chemical proceses” AIChE Journal. Vo. 32(1), 1986, pp. 123-138, Nee, Band LE. ‘Simultaneous oprimizaion models for heat inte gration —heat exchanger network synthesis” Computers > Chemical Val. 1$(10), 1990, pp. 1165-1184, * Nagy, A.B. R. Adonyi, F Frieder, and 1. T, Fan, “Integrated synthesis of proces gine change networks: algorithmic approach.” Appied Thermal 21(13-14), 2001, pp. 1407-1427, Y. Hector anil 7. Kraan ration mode for simultaneous fowsheet opin Computers & C 2 “A rigorous disjunctive opti ation and heat ine 8, $157.64 rial Enginering Ns id meta fnshing industries. Dr. ELHalvag the rind Natenal cence Foundation’ National Young nesigator Award, The Mortar Bo Feit Educator Asad, the Bcsong Ment Teaching Award, and the Hed H Punpiyey Award Profesor Ebswai has BS and MIS dees fom HO fren the University of Calforia, Los Angeles, alin chemical engineerin HPI MARKETDATA Teo Ra Racy Pes COR Cun a) Sn ea ee} i pe Bay Pit, fo] Pe ae ie i § E :