Methods for heat exchanger network energy efficiency assessment and lifetime retrofit

A method of managing heat exchanger network energy efficiency and retrofits for an industrial facility having a plurality of process streams comprising a plurality of hot process streams and a plurality of cold process streams, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving data indicating a current heat transfer structure of an existing heat exchanger network for an industrial facility;
• graphically displaying the current heat transfer structure of the existing heat exchanger network, the graphical display including a pinch point location temperature line identifying the pinch point for the heat exchanger network and one or more connection lines indicating heat transfer between a corresponding one or more hot process streams and one or more cold process streams across the pinch point location line to provide ready identification of each heat exchanger in the heat exchanger network exchanging heat across the pinch point temperature, each of the one or more connection lines providing a linear graphical illustration of heat exchange across the pinch point location temperature line and extending between a respective hot process stream-cold process stream combination;
• identifying one or more process streams that primarily control the pinch point location for the existing heat exchanger network;
• identifying a set of one or more hot process streams having a highest impact on waste energy recovery upon reducing its respective stream specific minimum temperature approach value;
• identifying a maximum desired waste energy recovery goal anticipated over a life of the heat exchanger network defining a final waste energy recovery goal;
• and
• determining an optimal heat exchanger network retrofit projects sequence identifying a plurality of heat exchanger network retrofit projects sequentially, the heat exchanger network retrofit projects sequence extending between a current heat exchanger network retrofit project satisfying a current desired waste energy recovery goal and a future heat exchanger network retrofit project satisfying the final waste energy recovery goal, the heat exchanger network retrofit projects sequence configured so that each subsequent project within the heat exchanger network retrofit projects sequence does not contradict any of the previous projects within the heat exchanger network retrofit projects sequence.