Pumps, heat

One method to increase energy efficiency is to use the principles of the heat pump. 

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A schematic of a simple vapor compression heat pump is shown in Fig. 6.37. A heat pump is a device that absorbs heat at a low... 

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. 

For any given type of heat pump, a higher COPhp leads to better economics. Having a better COPhp and hence better economics means working across a small temperature lift with the heat pump. The... 

Figure 6.38 Integration of heat pumps with the process.

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. 

Most refrigeration systems are essentially the same as the heat pump cycle shown in Fig. 6.37. Heat is absorbed at low temperature, servicing the process, and rejected at higher temperature either directly to ambient (cooling water or air cooling) or to heat recovery in the process. Heat transfer takes place essentially over latent heat profiles. Such cycles can be much more complex if more than one refrigeration level is involved. 

As with heat pumping, the grand composite curve is used to assess how much heat from the process needs to be extracted into the refrigeration system and where, if appropriate, the process can... 

Figure 6 9 The grand composite curve can be used to size heat pump cycles. (From Smith and Unnhoff, Trans. IChemE, ChERD, 66 195, 1988 reproduced by permission of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.)...

Various heat pumping schemes have been proposed as methods for saving energy in distillation. Of these schemes, use of the column overhead vapor as the heat pumping fluid is usually the most economically attractive. This is the vapor recompression scheme shown in outline in Fig. 14.6. 

For heat pumping to be economical on a stand-alone basis, the... 

Unfortunately, the overall design problem is even more complex in practice. Spare driving forces in the process could be exploited equally well to allow the use of moderate utilities or the integration of heat engines, heat pumps, etc. in preference to distillation integration. 

Worldwide use of CFCs for refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pumps totaled 260,000 t in 1991 (see Refrigeration) which is a dropoff of only 7% from 1986 levels. 

Difluoroethanol is prepared by the mercuric oxide cataly2ed hydrolysis of 2-bromo-l,l-difluoroethane with carboxyHc acid esters and alkaH metal hydroxides ia water (27). Its chemical reactions are similar to those of most alcohols. It can be oxidi2ed to difluoroacetic acid [381-73-7] (28) it forms alkoxides with alkaH and alkaline-earth metals (29) with alkoxides of other alcohols it forms mixed ethers such as 2,2-difluoroethyl methyl ether [461-57-4], bp 47°C, or 2,2-difluoroethyl ethyl ether [82907-09-3], bp 66°C (29). 2,2-Difluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether [32778-16-8], made from the alcohol and chlorodifluoromethane ia aqueous base, has been iavestigated as an inhalation anesthetic (30,31) as have several ethers made by addition of the alcohol to various fluoroalkenes (32,33). Methacrylate esters of the alcohol are useful as a sheathing material for polymers ia optical appHcations (34). The alcohol has also been reported to be useful as a working fluid ia heat pumps (35). The alcohol is available ia research quantities for ca 6/g (1992). 

Heat Pumps. Heat pumps involve the appHcation of external power to pump heat from a lower temperature to a higher temperature. Heat pumps are frequently used for space heating and are simply refrigeration cycles operated in reverse. The heat rejected in the condenser becomes the primary objective of operation. Consequently, refrigerants used for mechanical compression refrigeration have similar appHcation in heat pumps. 

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