PinchDesignMethodforHENsynthesisModule05

Lecture29

Module05:PinchDesignMethodforHENsynthesis
Lecture29:MERDesignforthresholdproblem
Keywords:PDM,HEN,Threshold,pinch,utility
In lecture8 threshold problems are discussed. The characteristics of these problems are that these
either need hot utility or cold utility and not both. Threshold problems can be divided into two

broad categories for purpose of design. In the first type, the closest temperature approach
betweenthehotandcoldcompositesisatthenonutilityendandthecurvesdivergeaway
fromthispoint.Thesecondtype,thereisanintermediatenearpinch,whichcanbeidentified
from the composite curves as a region of close temperature approach . Now the question is
whetherpinchdesignmethod(PDM)shouldbemodifiedtodealwithdesignofthresholdproblems?
ThelogicbehindPDMistostartthedesignwheretheproblemismostconstricted.Ifthedesignproblem
has a pinch then the problem is most constricted at pinch and thus it should start from pinch point
movingawayfromit.Ifthepinch(ormostrestrictedpart)isatthenonutilityendthenitshouldstart
fromthere.LetusexplainitthroughasexampleproblemgiveninTable5.5:

Table5.5FourstreamthresholdproblemwithpseudopinchfordesignofHEN(Tmin=5C)
StreamNo.&Type

CP(kW/K)

Hot1
Hot2
Cold1
Cold2

3
1.5
2
4

ActualTemperatures(0C)
SupplyTemp.
TargetTemp.
180
60
140
30
20
135
80
140

Fig5.24StreamdataandpinchforproblemshowninTable5.5

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Lecture29

Fig.524 shows the stream data and pinch of the problem. Fig.5.25 shows the hot and cold
compositecurvesfortheproblem.Fromthisitisclearthattheproblemrequiresnohotutility
andthepinchpointisathotend.However,theproblemexhibitsapseudopinchasshownin
Fig.5.25.Thisiscalledpseudopinchasheat(17.5kW)passesthroughitasevidentfromFig.5.26.

Pinch(asnoheatflow
takes place here)

Pseudopinch

Fig.5.25HotandColdCompositecurvesforprobleminTable

Thegrandcompositecurvefortheproblemisshownbelow:

17.5kW

55kW

Fig.5.26GrandcompositecurveforproblemshowninTable5.5

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Lecture29

Forthepresentproblemhotutilityrequirementof0kWwhereasthecoldutilityrequirement
is55kW.
Forthepresentcase,thepseudohotpinchisat850Candthatofpseudocoldpinchisat800C.
Heatflowthroughthispseudopinchis17.5kW.
Thus,inthiscase,itisadvisabletotreattheproblemasapinchproblemandpseudopinchas
pinch and design away from the pseudo pinch. The only difficulty in treating this problem as
pinchproblemisthatonehalfoftheproblem(thehotendasshowninFig.5.25)willnotoffer
anyflexibilitytomatchagainsthotutilitystream.
It should be noted that the hot end of the problem is not in heat balance. The enthalpy
available with hot stream ( 3*(18085)+1.5*(14085) = 367.5 kW) is 367.5 kW where as heat
requiredbycoldstreams3&4is(2.0*(13580)+4.0*(14080)=350kW).Thedifferencebetween
thesetwofiguresis17.5kW.Thisamountwillpasstocoldendsectionoftheproblem.
HotendDesign
ThegriddiagramofthehotendoftheproblemisshowninFig.5.27.Forthedesignofthehot
end, as per the CP rules, a match of 240 kW between the stream1 and stream4 is placed
which ticks off stream4. Now Exchanger2, having a capacity of 82.5 kW is placed between
stream2andstream3tickingoffstream2.Further,stream3hasacapacitytotake110kWof
itofwhich82.5kWhasbeenpassedbyexchanger2.Therest,27.5kW,canbepassedthrough
exchanger3placedbetweenstream1andstream3tickingoffstream3.Nowtheonlystream
which has residual heat ( 17.5 kW) left is stream1. Thus stream1 will not reach the pseudo
pointof85C,insteaditwillreachto90.83Csothatheatequalto17.5kWispassedtocold
endoftheproblem.Pleasenotethattheearlierpseudopinchtemperatureofstream1was
assumedtobe85C.Nowthepseudopinchtemperatureofstream1being90.83Cthestream
is ticked off. The complete design of the hot end of the problem is shown in Fig.5.27. The
temperature levels on the hot end part of the grid diagram clearly shows that there is no
violationofTmininthispartofHEN.
ColdEndDesign
ColdenddesignisshowninFig.5.28.Inthispartoftheproblem,heatavailablewithstream1is
92.5kW(=17.5+3*(8560)=3*(90.8360)=92.5kW)andthatofhotstream2is82.5kW(1.5*(85
30) making a total heat available to be 175 kW. The cold stream3 can only take up (2*(80
20)=120kW)120kWheat.Hencetherestheat,55kWwillbetakenupbythecoldutilityas
computedfortheproblem.Tostartthedesignexchanger4havingaloadof92.5kWisplaced
betweenstream1andstream3tickingoffthestream1.Thenexchanger5,havingcapacityof

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Lecture29

27.5 kW is placed between stream2 and 3 ticking off stream3. The excessive heat load of
stream2whichis55kWistransferredtothecooler.

BelowPinch(HotEnd)
NHNCEq.5.2
CPHCPCEq.5.4
3
2

1.5
4.0
HOT
COLD

Pseudopinch

180C

1.5 2

140C

170.83C

90.83

HOTEND
2

121.25C
2
3
82.5kW
27.5kW
140C

85C

80C

135C

2.0

COLDEND

17.5kW

CP

4.0

80C

3
4

240kW

Fig.5.27HotendHENdesignforthresholdproblemtreatingitaspinchedproblem

CP

BelowPinch(HotEnd)

BelowPinch(ColdEnd)

NHNCEq.5.2
CPHCPCEq.5.4
3
2

1.5
4.0
HOT
COLD

NHNCEq.5.2
CPHCPCEq.5.4
3
2

1.5
4.0
HOT
COLD

1.5 2

180C

Pseudopinch

17.5kW
170.83C
1 90.83 4

140C

85C

66.67C

2.0

4.0 4

135C

140C

80C

121.25C

3
82.5kW

2
27.5kW

60C

COLD END

HOTEND

33.75C

80C 92.5kW

30C

55kW
20C

27.5kW

240kW

Fig.5.28ColdendHENdesignforthresholdproblemtreatingitaspinchedproblem
bl

PinchDesignMethodforHENsynthesisModule05

Lecture29

ThesecondproblemasshowninTable5.6isconsideredtoshowsadifferenttypeofthreshold
problem. The hot and cold composite curves are shown in Fig.5.29(a) and GCC is shown in
Fig.5.29(b). From the composite curves it is clear that the problem requires no hot utility.
However, cold utility of amount 239.5 kW is required. The most constrained part of this
problemisthenonutilityendwheretemperaturedifferencesareconstrained.Suchproblems
aretreatedasonehalfofthepinchproblemanddesignisstratedwheretheproblemismost
constrained, i.e. non utility end moving way from it. For the present case one feasible HEN
designsisdevelopedasshowninFig.5.30.
Table5.6FourstreamproblemutilitypredictionforTminequalto10C.
Nameofthestream SupplyTemperature TargetTemperature CP
Ts,C
Tt,C
kW/C
Hot1
190
55
3.5
Hot2
155
40
1.8
Cold1
20
140
2
Cold2
70
150
2.5

H
kW
472.5
207
240
200

(b)

(a)

QHmin=0kW

QHmin=0kW
QHmin=239.5kW

QCmin=239.5kW

Fig.5.29CompositecurvesandGCCforthresholdproblemofTable5.6

Design
For cold end design number of hot stream should be greater or equal to number of cold
streams.Inthepresentcasetherearetwohotstreamsandtwocoldstreams,thusitsatisfies
theaboverule.FromtheobservationitisclearthatCPofstream2is1.8andthatofstream3
and4are2.0and2.5respectively.Thusnodirectpinchmatchcanbeplacedbetweenstream2

PinchDesignMethodforHENsynthesisModule05

Lecture29

andstream3asitwillviolateCPrule.Thusitwasdecidedtosplitthestream3twoparthaving
CPvalues1.725andother0.275.ThiswillupsettheruleNHNC.Thustoavoiditstream1is
splitintotwopartshavingCPvalues3.004and0.496.
Now exchanger1 having load 200kW is put between split part of stream1( CP=3.004) and
stream4(CP=2.5)totickoffstream4.ThissatisfiestheCPruleCPH CPC.Theexchanger2
havingloadequalto207kWisplacedbetweensplitpartofstream2(CP=1.725)andstream2
ticking off stream2. The exchanger3 having load equal to 33 kW is put between the split
stream1 (CP=0.496) and split part of stream2(CP=0.275). Having placed exchanger2 and 3,
nowthestream2iscompletelytickedoff.Finallyacoolerhavingcapacityof239.5kW(=QCmin)
isplacedonstream1tocompletetheheatbalance.ThecompletedesignisshowninFig.5.30.

BelowPinch(ColdEnd)

NHNCEq.5.2
CPHCPCEq.5.4
3.5 3.004 1.725 2.0
0.4957 0.275

1.8
2.5
HOT
COLD
Pinch

CP
3.5 1

190C

55C
C
239.5kW
40C

123.43

3
1.8 2

CP=1.725
2
20C
207kW 3
20C
140C
33kW

140C
2.0

CP=3.004

155C

2.5 4

140C
150C

200kW

20C
70C

ColdEnd

Fig.5.30FeasibleHENdesignsforthresholdprobleminTable5.6

References
1. AngelMartn*,FidelA.Mato,Hint:Aneducationalsoftwareforheatexchanger
networkdesignwiththepinchmethod,educationforchemicalengineers3(2008)e6
e14
2. Linnhoff,B.andFlower,J.R.,1978,Synthesisofheatexchangernetworks,AIChEJ,24(4):
633.
3. Linnhoff,B.andHindmarsh,E.,1983,Thepinchdesignmethodforheatexchanger
networks,ChemEngSci,38(5):745.

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Lecture29

4. Linnhoff,B.,Townsend,D.W.,Boland,D.,Hewitt,G.F.,Thomas,B.E.A.,Guy,A.R.and
Marsland,R.H.,1994,AUserGuideonProcessIntegrationfortheEfficientUseof
Energy.(TheInstitutionofChemicalEngineers,Rugby,Warks,UK).
5. Smith,R.2005,ChemicalProcess:DesignandIntegration(seconded.),(J.Wiley,JWiley.