The Heat Recovery Pinch

and The Problem Table Algorithm

ENGM071 - Process and Energy Integration
Outline
• The Heat Recovery Pinch
• Heat Transfer Across the Pinch
• The Problem Table Algorithm
• Summary

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The Heat Recovery Pinch

3
Heat recovery in a process
QHmin Hot utility requirement

Pinch
(Hot)

Tmin

Pinch
(Cold)
Heat recovery
QCmin
H
Cold utility requirement

For a practical Tmin > 0  TPinch (Hot) > TPinch (Cold)

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The Pinch Principle
T QHmin: SINK

PINCH

Zero

QCmin: SOURCE
H
The pinch divides the process into two subsystems:
a net heat source and a net heat sink
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Heat Transfer Across the Pinch

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Heat transfer across the pinch
T QHmin + XP

XP

QCmin + XP
H

If we transfer XP units of heat across the pinch…

both QCmin and QHmin increase by XP!
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 Heat transfer across the pinch
X X QHmin
Temperature

Pinch
Point

QCmin

Enthalpy Change

8
 Heat transfer across the pinch
X X X QHmin
Temperature

Pinch
Point

X QCmin

Enthalpy Change

9
Heat transfer across the pinch

If we transfer XP units of heat across the pinch…

QCmin and QHmin increase by XP

Overall: QCmin + XP of cooling water

QHmin + XP of steam 10
Hot utility below the pinch

Overall: QCmin + XP of cooling water

QHmin + XP of steam
11
Cold utility above the pinch

Overall: QCmin + XP of cooling water

QHmin + XP of steam
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Heat transfer across the pinch

To achieve the energy targets QCmin and QHmin set by the

composite curves heat must not be transferred across
the pinch through:

• Process-to-process heat transfer

• Inappropriate use of utilities:

 external cooling above the pinch

 external heating below the pinch

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The Problem Table Algorithm

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A four-stream problem: composite curves
280

240

200

Temperature (°C)
160

120

80

40

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Heat Flow (kW)

QCmin and QHmin

Composite curves:
• intuitive, but
• inconvenient for multiple streams
• graphical method is not very accurate

Alternative: The Problem Table Algorithm 15

Ensuring Feasible Heat Transfer

Temperature
𝑇 interval No Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 !

Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛

𝐻 ‘Cold’ temperature
Interval for feasible
heat transfer

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 Shifting the Composite Curves
Shift hot composite curve down by Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 /2
Shift cold composite curve up by Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 /2

QHmin
𝑇

Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 /2

Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛

Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 /2
QCmin 𝐻

Now heat transfer in the same (shifted) temperature interval is feasible!

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Temperature Shifting
Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 10°C

Supply temp. Target temp.

Stream Type 𝑇𝑆∗ /°C 𝑇𝑇∗ /°C
𝑇𝑆 /°C 𝑇𝑇 /°C

Reactor 1 Feed Cold 20 180 25 185

Reactor 1 Product Hot 250 40 245 35

Reactor 2 Feed Cold 140 230 145 235

Reactor 2 Product Hot 200 80 195 75

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Temperature Interval Heat Balances
In each shifted temperature interval, calculate a simple
energy balance

Δ𝐻𝑖 = 𝐶𝑃𝐶 − 𝐶𝑃𝐻 Δ𝑇𝑖

Cold streams Hot streams

where
• Δ𝐻𝑖 is the heat balance for shifted temperature interval 𝑖
• Δ𝑇𝑖 is the temperature difference across it

Δ𝐻𝑖 > 0 ⇒ Net deficit of heat in the interval. Cold streams dominate
Δ𝐻𝑖 < 0 ⇒ Net surplus of heat in the interval. Hot streams dominate

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Temperature Interval Heat Balances
𝐶𝑃𝐶 −
Interval Stream Δ𝑇𝐼𝑁𝑇𝐸𝑅𝑉𝐴𝐿 Δ𝐻𝐼𝑁𝑇𝐸𝑅𝑉𝐴𝐿 Surplus/
𝐶𝑃𝐻
temperature Population (ᵒC) (kW) Deficit
(kW/ᵒC)

245ᵒ
2
10 –15 –150 Surplus
235ᵒ
40 15 600 Deficit
195ᵒ
CP = 30 4
CP = 15

10 –10 –100 Surplus

185ᵒ CP = 25
40 10 400 Deficit
145ᵒ
3 70 –20 –1400 Surplus
CP = 20

75ᵒ
40 5 200 Deficit
35ᵒ
10 20 200 Deficit
25ᵒ
1

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Problem Table Cascade
Hot utility There is a surplus in this Hot utility
245ᵒ interval. It can transfer 245ᵒ 0 kW
150 kW to interval 2
Δ𝐻 = −150 Δ𝐻 = −150
235ᵒ This interval has a deficit. 235ᵒ 150 kW
After accepting 150 kW
Δ𝐻 = 600 from interval 2 it transfers Δ𝐻 = 600
195ᵒ –450 kW to interval 3 195ᵒ –450 kW

Δ𝐻 = −100 Δ𝐻 = −100
185ᵒ 185ᵒ –350 kW

Δ𝐻 = 400 Δ𝐻 = 400
Cascade any
145ᵒ 145ᵒ –750 kW
surplus heat
Δ𝐻 = −1400 down the Δ𝐻 = −1400
75ᵒ temperature 75ᵒ 650 kW

Δ𝐻 = 200 scale Δ𝐻 = 200

35ᵒ 35ᵒ 450 kW

Δ𝐻 = 200 Δ𝐻 = 200
25ᵒ 25ᵒ 250 kW

Cold utility Cold utility 21

Make Heat Flows Non-Negative
Hot utility Hot utility
245ᵒ 0 kW 245ᵒ 750 kW

Δ𝐻 = −150 Δ𝐻 = −150
235ᵒ 150 kW This is the largest 235ᵒ 900 kW
cumulative deficit
Δ𝐻 = 600 in a T interval Δ𝐻 = 600
195ᵒ –450 kW 195ᵒ 300 kW

Δ𝐻 = −100 Δ𝐻 = −100
185ᵒ –350 kW 185ᵒ 400 kW

Δ𝐻 = 400 Add 750 kW from Δ𝐻 = 400

145ᵒ –750 kW a hot utility to 145ᵒ 0 kW
prevent any deficit
Δ𝐻 = −1400 from being Δ𝐻 = −1400
75ᵒ 650 kW transferred to 75ᵒ 1400 kW
lower intervals
Δ𝐻 = 200 Δ𝐻 = 200
35ᵒ 450 kW 35ᵒ 1200 kW

Δ𝐻 = 200 Δ𝐻 = 200
25ᵒ 250 kW 25ᵒ 1000 kW

Cold utility Cold utility 22

Targets Identification
Hot utility
Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 10°C 245ᵒ 750 kW

This is the pinch: Δ𝐻 = −150

235ᵒ 900 kW
no heat flow across this
temperature boundary! Δ𝐻 = 600
195ᵒ 300 kW

∗ Δ𝐻 = −100
𝑇pinch = 145°C 185ᵒ 400 kW

Δ𝐻 = 400
𝑇H,pinch = 150°C 145ᵒ 0 kW

Δ𝐻 = −1400
𝑇C,pinch = 140°C 75ᵒ 1400 kW

Δ𝐻 = 200
𝑄Hmin = 750 kW 35ᵒ 1200 kW

Δ𝐻 = 200
𝑄Cmin = 1000 MW 25ᵒ 1000 kW

Cold utility 23
Composite curves, energy targets
Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 10°C Compare with the graphical method!
280

240

200
Pinch
Temperature (°C)

160

120 Δ𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 10°C

80

40

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Heat Flow (kW)
𝑄𝐶𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 1000 kW 𝑄𝐻𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 750 kW

Energy targets
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Summary
• Pinch divides the process into a heat sink and a heat source

• No heat transfer across the pinch (process-to-process OR

inappropriate use of utilities) to achieve minimum utility
consumption

• The Problem Table Algorithm (PTA):

− Identify temperature intervals and calculate shifted
temperature intervals
− Calculate heat balances and cascade surplus heat down the
temperature scale
− Add hot utility to make heat flows nonnegative
− Identify pinch location and energy targets

• PTA gives exact pinch location and energy targets

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