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Pinch Tech

Pinch technology is a method for maximizing heat integration within a process to reduce energy requirements. It involves identifying hot and cold streams, determining a minimum temperature difference (ΔTmin), and using this to plot the hot and cold composite curves. The pinch point is where these curves meet and indicates the minimum temperature above which heat must be supplied and below which heat must be removed. An example process is analyzed involving 4 hot streams and 4 cold streams. A ΔTmin of 10°C is selected. The hot and cold composite curves identify a pinch point of 30°C. The minimum heating and cooling requirements are calculated as 52.9kW and 41.6kW respectively, a 94.9% and 96.

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Firdaus Yahya
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140 views8 pages

Pinch Tech

Pinch technology is a method for maximizing heat integration within a process to reduce energy requirements. It involves identifying hot and cold streams, determining a minimum temperature difference (ΔTmin), and using this to plot the hot and cold composite curves. The pinch point is where these curves meet and indicates the minimum temperature above which heat must be supplied and below which heat must be removed. An example process is analyzed involving 4 hot streams and 4 cold streams. A ΔTmin of 10°C is selected. The hot and cold composite curves identify a pinch point of 30°C. The minimum heating and cooling requirements are calculated as 52.9kW and 41.6kW respectively, a 94.9% and 96.

Uploaded by

Firdaus Yahya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PINCH TECHNOLOGY

Pinch technology is one of the most successful and generally useful techniques developed by
Bodo Linnhoff. The term derives from the fact that in a plot of the system temperatures versus
the heat transferred, a pinch usually occurs between the hot stream and cold stream curves. It
has been shown that the pinch represents a distinct thermodynamic break in the system and
heat should not be transferred across the pinch for minimum energy requirements (Linnhoff and
Townsend, 1982).
Applying the pinch principle leads to promising, accurate results. These levels of temperature,
which for the hot Pinch technology will convert the plant's heat-exchanger streams to lines
called the hot and cold composite curves and cold composite curves are a means of separating
the plant into two parts, are called streams above and below the pinch. This separation is
important to indicate to the process engineer whether the locations of heaters and coolers are
correct or not. Wrong positions cause energy losses.
Process heat integration is a method to maximize the utility usage by matching hot and cold
streams in a plant to achieve heat transfer. This will lead to a substantial reduction in the energy
requirements of the plant. In recent years much work has been done on developing methods for
investigating energy integration and the efficient design of heat exchanger networks.

Choosing the Right Stream


The reboiler and condenser of the distillation column will not be selected because of the
controllability and the product purity. Integrating the reboiler and condenser of the distillation
column will affect the purity of the product inside it which is lower.
The pump also did not consider in this process since the pump in did process did not contribute
big value energy and have a very small of temperature differences in the outlet and inlet of the
pump which is differences in decimal places.
Thus, all the heating and cooling that involve in process other than distillation column and pump
will be design based on the stream extracted from the simulation.

Determination of hot and cold streams


The hot and cold streams were identified from the process flow diagram. Each stream starts
from a supply temperature, Ts and is heated or cooled to a target temperature, Tt. Streams from
distillation column units (condensers & reboilers) were not considered because integration will
affect the controllability and product purity of the distillation columns. This is because the
distillation columns and its equipments operate in a vacuum pressure. Table 3.2 below,
summarizes streams with all its corresponding conditions.

Stream

Type

No.
7-8
8-13
18-5
17-18

Hot
Hot
Cold
Cold

Flow rate

Heat

mCp

Tin

Tout

(kg/s)

capacity

(kW/c)

(c)

(c)

(kW)

370
280
150
30

280
50
250
150

89.10
957.49
-492.00
-565.20

0.48
2.25
2.72
2.72

(kJ/kg.c)
2.07
0.99
1.85
4.16
1.81
4.92
1.73
4.71
Table : Stream Condition

Determination of Tmin
The next step is crucial, which is to determine the minimum approach temperature difference,
Tmin. The optimum value chosen for Tmin is extremely important because it will determine
the size of the heat exchanger in a network. This is because, when the value of Tmin
decreases, the utility consumption and cost will also decrease. However the heat recovery, the
expense of the equipment size and capital cost will increase.
Table 9.2: Tmin for Respective Industries
No
1
2
3
4

Industrial Sector
Oil Refining
Petrochemical
Chemical
Low Temperature

Experience Tmin values


(oC)
20-40
10-20
10-20
3-5
*source (www.cheresources.com)

This dimethylether plant falls under the petrochemical and chemical industry. Thus, the range
for Tmin should be between 10 C to 20 C. From to this range, Tmin of 10C was selected

because the lower the value of Tmin the lower the utility consumption and cost will be. With
this Tmin, the interval temperature of each supply and target temperature can be determined.

Determination of interval temperature for source and target temperature


The method used is the Problem Table Algorithm Method, as named by Linnhoff and Flower. It
is used to determine the pinch temperatures and the minimum utility requirements (Sinnott,
2006).
Interval temperature is needed to determine the pinch temperature. Interval temperature can be
calculated using the equations below:
Hot streams: Tinterval = Tactual Tmin
Cold streams: Tinterval = Tactual + Tmin
The use of the interval temperature rather than the actual temperatures allows the minimum
temperature difference, Tmin = 10 C to be taken into account for the problem being
considered.

Stream
No

1
(stream 7
to 8)
2
(stream 8
to 13)
3
(stream 18
to 5)
4
(stream
17-18)

Average
heat
Capacity
(kW/oC)

Actual

Heat
Load,
(kW)

Interval

Source
Temperature
(oC)

Target
Temperature
(oC)

Source
Temperature
(oC)

Target
Temperature
(oC)

0.99

370

280

365

275

89.10

4.16

280

50

265

45

947.49

4.92

150

250

145

245

-492.0

4.71

30

150

25

145

-565.0

Pinch Calculations :
Hot
Stream

Cold

mCp(kW/ C) 0.99

4.16

4.92

4
4.71

Q (kW)

370C ______________________________________________340 C
280 C_____________________________________________250 C

403.5

180 C _____________________________________________150 C

-20

60 C ______________________________________________30C

18.325

50 C ______________________________________________20 C

-49.53

Figure 1: Temperature Interval Diagram


A
89.1
89.1
Pinch

Pinch

-76
COLD

HOT
13.1

UTILIT
Y

UTILITY

C
QH=52.9

-66

D
41.6
Figure 2: The Cascade Diagram

Q C=41.6

Above Pinch
H.U

52.9

89.1

915.

52.9

89.1

350

492

565.

565.2

Minimum number of exchangers,Nmin,a = 4


Below Pinch
2
41.6

C.U
41.6

41.6

Minimum number of exchangers,Nmin,a = 1


Figure 3: Calculation of Minimum Number of Exchangers

Above Pinch
Stream

mCp(kW/ C) 0.99

4.16

4.92

4
4.71

370C ______________________________________________340 C
280 C_____________________________________________250 C
180 C _____________________________________________150 C
60 C ______________________________________________30C

37
Q1=89.
1

28
2

28
Q2=3
50

25
1
25
2

15

19
Q3=56
5.2
60
Q4=5
2.9

15

3
17
4
15

30

Below Pinch

Stream

mCp(kW/ C) 0.99

4.16

4.92

4
4.71

60 C ______________________________________________30C
50 C ______________________________________________20 C
60
5
50
Q5=4
1.6
5
20

Figure 4: Design of Heat Exchanger Network Above and Below Pinch

Therefore,

1. Minimum amount of heat must be supplied from Hot Utilities is 52.90 kW


2. Minimum amount of heat must be Removed by Cold Utilities is 41.60 kW.
3. Pinch Point at interval, T = 30oC.
a) Cold Stream, T = 30.0oC
b) Hot Stream, T= 60.0oC

COMPARISON BEFORE AND AFTER INTEGRATION

Total Energy Can Be Saved

By implementing the heat integration, the heat removal from condenser can be utilized to
heat up the reactant mixture. Below is the comparison before and after implementing the
heat integration.
Table 1: Minimum Heating and Cooling Requirement Before and After Heat Integration
Utility

Before integration (kW)

After integration (kW)

1057.0

41.6

1046.59

52.9

2103.59

94.5

Minimum cooling
requirement
Minimum heating
requirement
Total

Therefore, percentage(%) energy hot can be saved :


%=

1046.5952.9
x 100
1046.59

=94.9%

Percentage(%) energy cold can be saved :


%=

105741.6
x 100
1057

=96.1%

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, the choosen of minimum temperature is affected the cost of utilities (hot and
cold) and cost of heat exchanger in the network. If value of differences in temperature is lower
the value of minimum temperature choosen, it will reduce energy requirement and make heat

exchanger more expensive which is lower operating cost but increase in fixed cost. Pinch also
can reduced the energy required to cool or heating in any process.

REFERENCES

1. Gundersen, T., and Naess, L. (1988). Comp. and Chem. Eng., The synthesis of cost
optimal heat-exchanger networks an industrial review of the state of the art.
2. Pinch Technology, http://www.cheresources.com/pinchtech4.shtml, (02 April 2011).
3.

Pinch Technology, http://www.uic-che.org/pinch/stream_input.php, (03 April 2011).

4. Sinnot, R.K (2005) Chemical Engineering Design, Coulson & Richardson Chemical
Engineering. 3rd Edition. Volume 6

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