Heat pinch

The Heat Pinch Composite Curves (Temperature-Enthalpy Diagrams)... 

Columns with Intermediate Inputs and Outputs of Heat Pinch Method 173... 

Fig. 6.7a. Above the pinch (in temperature terms), the process is in heat balance with the minimum hot utility Qnmin- Heat is received from hot utility, and no heat is rejected. The process acts as a heat sink. Below the pinch (in temperature terms), the process is in heat balance with the minimum cold utility Qcmin- No heat is received, but heat is rejected to cold utility. The process acts as a heat source.

Consider now the possibility of transferring heat between these two systems (see Fig. 6.76). Figure 6.76 shows that it is possible to transfer heat from hot streams above the pinch to cold streams below. The pinch temperature for hot streams for the problem is 150°C, and that for cold streams is 140°C. Transfer of heat from above the pinch to below as shown in Fig. 6.76 transfers heat from hot streams with a temperature of 150°C or greater into cold streams with a temperature of 140°C or less. This is clearly possible. By contrast. Fig. 6.7c shows that transfer from hot streams below the pinch to cold streams above is not possible. Such transfer requires heat being transferred from hot streams with a temperature of 150°C or less into cold streams with a temperature of 140°C or greater. This is clearly not possible (without violating the ATmin constraint). 

In choosing to transfer heat, say XP, from the system above the pinch to the system below the pinch, as shown in Fig. 6.8a, then above the pinch there is a heat deficit of XP. The only way this can... 

An alternative inappropriate use of utilities involves heating of some of the cold streams below the pinch by steam. Below the pinch, cooling water is needed to satisfy the enthalpy imbalance. Figure... 

In other words, to achieve the energy target set by the composite curves, the designer must not transfer heat across the pinch by... 

Details of how this design was developed in Fig. 6.9 are included in Chap. 16. For now, simply take note that the targets set by the composite curves are achievable in design, providing that the pinch is recognized, there is no transfer of heat ac ss it, and no inappropriate use of utilities occurs. However, insight into the pinch is needed to analyze some of the important decisions still to be made before network design is addressed. 

In design, the same rules must be obeyed around a utility pinch as around a process pinch. Heat should not be transferred across it by process-to-process transfer, and there should be no inappropriate use of utilities. In Fig. 6.13a this means that the only utility to be used above the utility pinch is steam generation and only cooling water below. In Fig. 6.136 this means that the only utility to be used above... 

The overlap in the shifted curves as shown in Fig. 6.15a means that heat transfer is infeasible. At some point this overlap is a maximum. This maximum overlap is added as a hot utility to correct the overlap. The shifted curves now touch at the pinch, as shown in Fig. 6.156. Since the shifted curves just touch, the actual curves are separated by AT ,in at this point (see Fig. 6.156). 

More than 7.5 MW could be added from a hot utility to the first interval, but the objective is to find the minimum hot and cold utility. Thus from Fig. 6.186, QHmin = 7.5MW and Qcmm = 10MW. This corresponds with the values obtained from the composite curves in Fig. 6.5a. One further important piece of information can be deduced from the cascade in Fig. 6.186. The point where the heat flow goes to zero at T = 145°C corresponds to the pinch. Thus the actual hot and cold stream pinch temperatures are 150 and 140°C. Again, this agrees with the result from the composite curves in Fig. 6.5a. 

Finally, the heat cascade is shown in Fig. 6.21. Figure 6.21a shows the cascade with zero hot utility. This leads to negative heat flows, the largest of which is -1.84 MW. Adding 1.84 MW from a hot utility as shown in Fig. 6.216 gives = 1.84 MW, Qcmm = 1-84 MW, hot stream pinch temperature =... 

The point of zero heat flow in the grand composite curve in Fig. 6.24 is the pinch. The open jaws at the top and bottom represent Hmin and Qcmin, respectively. Thus the heat sink above the pinch and heat source below the pinch can be identified as shown in Fig. 

In Fig. 6.27, the flue gas is cooled to pinch temperature before being released to the atmosphere. The heat releaised from the flue gas between pinch and ambient temperature is the stack loss. Thus, in Fig. 6.27, for a given grand composite curve and theoretical flcune temperature, the heat from fuel amd stack loss can be determined. 

Fundamentally, there are two possible ways to integrate a heat engine exhaust. In Fig. 6.31 the process is represented as a heat sink and heat source separated hy the pinch. Integration of the heat engine across the pinch as shown in Fig. 6.31a is coimterproductive. The process still requires QHmm, and the heat engine performs no... 

Figure 6.31 Heat engine exhaust can be integrated either across or not across the pinch.

Figure 6.33 shows a steam turbine integrated with the process above the pinch. Heat Qhp is taken into the process from high-pressure steam. The balance of the hot utility demand Qlp is taken... 

As with the steam turbine, if there was no stack loss to the atmosphere (i.e., if Qloss was zero), then W heat would he turned into W shaftwork. The stack losses in Fig. 6.34 reduce the efficiency of conversion of heat to work. The overall efficiency of conversion of heat to power depends on the turbine exhaust profile, the pinch temperature, and the shape of the process grand composite. 

Thus the appropriate placement of heat pumps is that they should be placed across the pinch. Note that the principle needs careful interpretation if there are utility pinches. In such circumstances, heat pump replacement above the process pinch or below it can be economic, providing that the heat pump is placed across a utility pinch. Such considerations are outside the scope of the present text. 

A refrigeration system is a heat pump in which heat is absorbed below ambient temperature. Thus the appropriate placement principle for heat pumps applies in exactly the same way as for refrigeration cycles. The appropriate placement for refrigeration cycles is that they also should be across the pinch. As with heat pumps, refrigeration cycles also can be appropriately placed across utility pinches. It is common for refrigeration cycles to be placed across a utility pinch caused by maximizing cooling water duty. 

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