ASSIGNMENT 1

MAXIMUM ENERGY RECOVERY HEN DESIGN USING PINCH TECHNOLOGY

(1) Figure 1 shows a heat exchanger network (HEN) designed by the senior students of chemical
engineering of a US university for an acetic anhydride plant consisting of three hot and three cold streams.
The FCp of streams (MW/0C), temperatures of all streams (in deg C) and heat loads of exchangers (MW)
are indicated in the figure (dotted circles are heaters/coolers in Fig. 1). For a chosen minimum approach
temperature, the pinch temperature is calculated to be 1600C on the hot scale and 1500C on the cold
scale.

(a) The minimum approach temperature used for determining the above pinch temperature
boundary is ____. The corresponding minimum hot utility requirement is ____ MW and
corresponding minimum cold utility requirement is ______ MW
(b) The number of pinched hot streams above pinch is __ and the number of pinched cold streams
above pinch is __
(c) The number of pinched hot streams below pinch is __ and the number of pinched cold streams
below pinch is __
(e) The HEN design in Fig. 1 is a feasible maximum energy recovery design ____ (True or
False) because _________________________________________________________________
(f) It is possible to design a maximum energy recovery HEN without stream splitting above pinch
____ (True or False) because _____________________________________________________
(g) The exchangers in Fig. 1 that transfer energy across pinch are ________________
(h) The threshold minimum approach temperature for this process is less than/equal to/greater
than 00C

(2) For the stream table data given in Table 1, design a maximum energy recovery using pinch
technology for a minimum approach temperature of 100 C. Your report should contain the
following
(i) Pinch temperature boundary, (ii) Minimum hot and cold utility requirements in kW, (iii)
Number of exchangers used above pinch including heaters, (iv) Number of exchangers used below
pinch including coolers, (v) whether stream splitting is required above or below pinch (vi) Grid
diagram of your design indicating clearly the temperatures before and after every exchanger and
heat loads of exchanger (vii) threshold minimum approach temperature for this process
 Table 1: Stream table
Stream FCp (kW/K) Tin (0C) Tout (0C)
H1 23 170 88
H2 2 278 90
H3 5 354 100
C1 9 30 135
C2 20 130 205
C3 18 200 298

90 MW 30 MW 0 MW/0C
2500 130
H1 2 8 1.0

1750 412.5 MW 440 MW 0

130
H2 1 5 4 9 27.5

2500 1125 MW 1062.5 MW

750
H3 3 10 12.5

750
1300
4 C1 2.0

110 MW
1300 750
5 C2 5.0
275 MW 1500
2000
4 3 2 1 C2 50.0
872.5 MW
Fig. 1. HEN design