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US 2011/0087475 A1Published application
System, Method, and Program Product For Synthesizing Non-Constrained and Constrained Heat Exchanger Networks
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMahmoud Bahy Noureldin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and program product to synthesize a grass-roots heat exchanger network for a plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and a plurality of cold process streams to be heated according to a plurality of utilities targets, are provided. An exemplary system includes a heat exchange network synthesizing computer and heat exchange network synthesizing program product configured to analyze the waste heat recovery problem without decomposition to produce a result having an optimal number of network heat exchanger units through application of advanced process-to-process matching schemes for both non-constrained and non-thermodynamically constrained problems.
Claims39
A system to synthesize a grass-roots heat exchanger network for a plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and a plurality of cold process streams to be heated according to a plurality of utilities targets, the system comprising:
- a heat exchange network synthesizing computer having a processor and memory in communication with the processor to store software and database records therein;
- at least one database stored in memory accessible to the energy modeling computer, comprising:
- a plurality of sets of values each separately defining a potential range of values for a corresponding plurality of operational attributes for each of a plurality of hot resource streams,
- a plurality of sets of values each separately defining a potential range of values for a corresponding plurality of operational attributes for each of a plurality of cold resource streams,
- indicia of stream initial types for each of the plurality of hot process streams and each of a plurality of cold process streams, and
- indicia of one or more non-thermodynamically constrained hot process streams of the plurality of hot process streams each constrained from matching at least one of the plurality of cold process streams to define one or more forbidden matches;
- heat exchange network synthesizing program product stored in the memory of the exchange network synthesizing computer to synthesize a grass-roots heat exchanger network for the plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and the plurality of cold process streams to be heated, the program product including instructions that when executed by the heat exchange network synthesizing computer cause the computer to perform the operations of:
- receiving a plurality of operational attributes including a heat capacity flow rate, a supply temperature, and a target temperature for each of the plurality of hot process streams and for each of the plurality of cold process streams,
- receiving indicia of at least one minimum temperature approach value for each of the plurality of the hot process streams, the at least one minimum temperature approach value for each of the plurality of hot process streams comprising indicia of one or more of the following:
- a plurality of discrete stream-specific minimum temperature approach values each separately assigned to a different one of the plurality of hot process streams, at least one of the stream-specific minimum temperature approach values assigned to a corresponding at least one of the plurality of hot process streams being different from at least one other of the plurality of stream-specific minimum temperature approach values assigned to a corresponding at least one other of the plurality of hot process streams,
- a plurality of sets of at least two stream-specific minimum temperature approach values defining a range of stream-specific minimum temperature approach values, each of the plurality of sets of at least two stream-specific minimum temperature approach values separately assigned to a different one of the plurality of hot process streams, and
- a plurality of sets of dual stream minimum temperature approach values each separately assigned to a different one of the plurality of hot process streams;
- matching the plurality of hot process streams and the plurality of cold process streams to attain one or more utilities energy consumption targets, the matching including a matching scheme comprising the operation of:
- matching each hot process stream of the plurality of hot process streams having a higher starting temperature to a cooler stream prior to matching each other hot process stream of the plurality of hot process streams having a cooler starting temperature;
- determining an initial heat exchanger network design responsive to the operation of matching the plurality of hot process streams and the plurality of cold process streams;
- removing any redundant process-to-process heat exchangers from the initial design when so existing responsive to the operation of determining an initial heat exchanger network design;
- merging same-stream utility heat exchangers, when two or more same-stream utility heat exchangers exist responsive to the operation of determining an initial heat exchanger network design;
- and
- providing a final heat exchanger network design responsive to one or more of the operations of:
- determining an initial heat exchanger network design, removing any redundant process to process heat exchangers from the initial design when so existing, and merging two or more same-stream utility heat exchangers when so existing.
17 more elements
Heat exchange network synthesizing program product to synthesize a grass-roots heat exchanger network for a plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and a plurality of cold process streams to be heated, the program product comprising a set of instructions, stored on a tangible computer readable medium, that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the operations of:
- matching a plurality of hot process streams and a plurality of cold process streams to attain one or more utilities energy consumption targets, the matching including a matching scheme comprising the operation of:
- matching each hot process stream of the plurality of hot process streams having a higher starting temperature to a cooler stream prior to matching each other hot process stream of the plurality of hot process streams having a cooler starting temperature;
- and
- determining a heat exchanger network design responsive to the operation of matching a plurality of hot process streams and a plurality of cold process streams.
1 more element
A method of synthesizing a grass-roots heat exchanger network for a plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and a plurality of cold process streams to be heated according to a plurality of utilities targets, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving by a computer a plurality of operational attributes for each of a plurality of hot process streams and for each of a plurality of cold process streams, and indicia at least one minimum temperature approach value for each of the plurality of the hot process streams;
- matching by the computer, the plurality of hot process streams and the plurality of cold process streams to attain one or more utilities energy consumption targets, the matching including a matching scheme comprising the step of:
- matching each hot process stream of the plurality of hot process streams having a higher starting temperature prior to matching each other hot process stream of the plurality of hot process streams having a cooler starting temperature;
- and
- determining a heat exchanger network design responsive to the step of matching the plurality of hot process streams and the plurality of cold process streams.
2 more elements
A method of synthesizing a grass-roots heat exchanger network for a plurality of hot process streams to be cooled and a plurality of cold process streams to be heated according to a plurality of utilities targets, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving by a computer a plurality of operational attributes including a heat capacity flow rate, a supply temperature, and a target temperature for each of a first plurality of hot process streams and for each of a first plurality of cold process streams, and indicia of at least one minimum temperature approach value for each of the first plurality of the hot process streams, the at least one minimum temperature approach value for each of the first plurality of hot process streams comprising one or more of the following:
- a plurality of discrete stream-specific minimum temperature approach values each separately assigned to a different one of the first plurality of hot process streams, at least one of the stream-specific minimum temperature approach values assigned to a corresponding at least one of the first plurality of hot process streams being different from at least one other of the plurality of stream-specific minimum temperature approach values assigned to a corresponding at least one other of the first plurality of hot process streams,
- a plurality of sets of at least two stream-specific minimum temperature approach values defining a range of stream-specific minimum temperature approach values, each of the plurality of sets of at least two stream-specific minimum temperature approach values separately assigned to a different one of the first plurality of hot process streams, and
- a plurality of sets of dual stream minimum temperature approach values each separately assigned to a different one of the first plurality of hot process streams;
- matching by the computer, the first plurality of hot streams and the first plurality of cold streams to attain one or more utilities energy consumption targets, the matching including a matching scheme comprising the steps of:
- specifically matching each hot process stream of the first plurality of hot process streams having a higher starting temperature prior to matching each other hot process stream of the first plurality of hot process streams having a cooler starting temperature,
- specifically matching each of a second plurality of the hot process streams with a corresponding one of a second plurality of the cold process streams having a heating requirement substantially equal to a cooling requirement for the respective hot process stream when so existing,
- specifically matching each of a third plurality of the hot process streams with a corresponding one of a third plurality of the cold process streams having a maximum overlap with the respective hot process stream when so existing,
- specifically matching each of a fourth plurality of the hot process streams with a corresponding one of a fourth plurality of the cold process streams having substantially equal heat capacity flow rates with the respective hot process stream when so existing, and
- specifically matching each of a fifth plurality of the hot process streams each having a high heat capacity flow rate and high overall heat transfer coefficient with a fifth plurality of the cold process stream each having a low heat capacity flow rate and low overall heat transfer coefficient;
- and
- determining an initial heat exchanger network design responsive to the step of matching the plurality of hot process streams and the plurality of cold process streams.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.