CPE 633 PROCESS ENGINEERING II

THRESHOLD PROBLEM
HEAT EXCHANGER NETWORK DESIGN FOR MAXIMUM ENERGY RECOVERY

By Siti Shawalliah Idris, AMIChemE

Recap : T-H diagram

No Integration no overlapping of hot and coal stream
Steam

Cooling Water (CW)

Recap : T-H diagram

Process Heat Recovery
Steam

T
QRec

DTmin

CW

Recap : T-H diagram

What happpen if DTmin is reduced further?

Further reduced to
(eq. DTmin = 14oC)
Results in :

T
QRec

No

hot utility requirement

More process heat recovery
DTmin

CW

Further reduced to
(eq. DTmin = 10oC)
Results in :

DTmin reduced further

QRec

No

increase in Process Heat

Recovery(Process Heat Balance
determines utilities requirements

CW

CW

Threshold Problems

Steam

CW

There is a threshold DTmin for maximum recovery

Threshold Problems

As Tmin is reduced, a point is reached where no hot utility is

required;
At all lower values of Tmin, the only utility needed is
constant cold utility.
The value of Tmin at which one utility target falls to zero
is termed Tthreshold
A situation where only one utility is required is called a
threshold problem.

If the composite curves are shifted further together, reducing

Tmin further, this does not cause a further change in utilities
requirements, although it does mean that, if desired part of
the hot utility could be supplied at the low temperature end
of the problem or any intermediate value

CW

Utilities
(MW)

CW
Steam

DTmin

Pinched Problems
Steam

CW

Pinched Problems
As Tmin is reduced, a pinched problems still requires both cold and hot
utilities even the value of DTmin is zero
Steam

Utilities
(MW)

CW

Steam
CW

DTmin

DESIGN FOR THRESHOLD PROBLEMS

Low Threshold DTmin

Treat exactly like a pinched problem
Steam
Utilities
(MW)

T
CW

Steam

10oC
DTthr

DTmin = 10oC

DTmin

CW

High Threshold DTmin

Satisfy target temperatures at no utility end
Utilities
(MW)

Steam

Steam

CW
DTmin = 10oC

DTmin = 10oC
DTmin

Example

Given: From a problem table

analysis
Qhmin

= 215.66 kW
Qcmin = 0

DTmin = 50oC

Which cold end matches are

essential?

CP
2.38
1.58
1.32

3
5

590 oC

400 oC

471 oC

200 oC

533 oC

150 oC

400 oC

200 oC

430 oC

100 oC

4.13

400 oC

300 oC

2.62

280 oC

150 oC

1.60
1.60

1
2
4
6

Perform matches as usual.

CP
2.38

1.58
1.32

1.60
1.60

4.13
2.62

3
5
7

590 oC

400 oC

471 oC

200 oC
428

533 oC

150 oC

200 oC

400 oC
430 oC

368 oC

100 oC

400 oC

300 oC

280 oC

150 oC

1
2
4
6

An example of chemical processes threshold problem : Ammonia

production
Exothermic

reactor produces more heat; thus does not require heating from

hot utility.
T

CW

Yes or No?

The question is

Whether or not to remain Threshold Problems

Depends on the economy scale.

For Example, Ammonia Production:

Generating High Pressure Steam (HP) turns the threshold problems into
a pinched problem.
T

T
Pinch

HP Steam Generation
CW

CW

Summary

Some problems exhibit a threshold only hot or cold utility required.

True threshold problems have large temperature driving force and no
pinch.
Most threshold problems turn out to be pinched problems after
multiple utilities used

Working Example
Threshold Problems

Threshold Plot Energy Target Plot

At Dtmin = DTthr= 7oC, cold utility disappears Threshold problems

Utilities
(MW)

Steam
QHmin

CW
DTmin = 7oC

DTmin

Design a maximum energy recovery network (DTmin = 6oC)

Pinch
CP
180 oC
80 oC
20 1
oC
130 oC
40
2
40
100 oC

80
120 oC

36
QHmin = 840

60 oC

30 oC

Qcmin = 0

CP
20
40

Pinch
1

180 oC

80 oC

130 oC

100 oC

80
120

oC

36
QHmin = 840

40 oC

840

200

60 oC

2160
4

2
1800

Qcmin = 0

30 oC

1440

Thank you for your attention