Article

pubs.acs.org/IECR

A Mathematical Model for Water Network Synthesis Involving Mixed

Batch and Continuous Units
Jui-Yuan Lee, Cheng-Liang Chen,* and Chun-Yen Lin
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617 Taiwan

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a mathematical model for the synthesis of water networks for systems consisting of process
units of different operation modes, namely, truly batch, semicontinuous, and continuous units. By treating a continuous process
as a special case of a semicontinuous process, the original problem becomes to synthesize a batch water network comprised of
truly batch and semicontinuous units operated cyclically with a fixed schedule. The model is formulated as a mixed-integer
nonlinear program based on a unit-tank superstructure including all possible network interconnections. Three modified literature
examples are used to illustrate the proposed approach, with both in-plant and interplant water integration analyzed.

1. INTRODUCTION Note that most WN works were developed for process

Water is a key resource widely used in the process industry as a
raw material, heat-transfer medium, mass-separating agent, etc.
Common uses of water include steam stripping, liquid−liquid
extraction, and a variety of washing operations. With rapid
industrial growth, the increasing water demand leads to not
only more fresh water consumed but also more wastewater
generated and has, consequently, caused many environmental
and economic problems, such as worldwide water pollution and
rising costs of fresh water and effluent treatment. The latter is
partly due to the (predicted) scarcities of industrial water and
ever-stricter discharge regulations. As well as increased public
awareness toward environmental sustainability, the above-
mentioned factors are among those calling for efficient and
responsible utilization of water in industry.
To make efficient use of water in the process industry, water
recovery through the synthesis of water networks (WNs) has
been commonly accepted as an effective means, with reuse,
recycle, and regeneration being options for the reduction of
industrial fresh-water intake and wastewater discharge.1 Over
the past decades, numerous research works on WN synthesis
have been reported both for continuous and for batch processes
based on process integration techniques. Most of these works,
along with the history of investigations and development (on
WNs), are analyzed in the review papers of Bagajewicz,2 Foo,3
Jeżowski,4 and Gouws et al.5 Among the various water
minimization methodologies, such as insight-based pinch analysis
and mathematical optimization approaches, the latter is very
useful in dealing with complex systems (e.g., multiple
contaminants, cost considerations, topological constraints,
limited piping connections, etc.) and often preferred when a
systematic strategy leading to an optimum solution is required.
Apart from in-plant water recovery, opportunities for
interplant water integration may be explored to achieve further
recovery in the case of industrial complexes with multiple plants
or processes, where water-using operations are usually grouped
in different geographical locations. The first work addressing
this issue was reported by Olesen and Polley6 using a pinch-
based approach. Several related works using mathematical
techniques were later published.7−10
systems containing either continuous11−13 or batch water-using
units.14−21 However, there exist processes with a mixture of
continuous and batch operations, for example, breweries, sugar
mills, and tire-production plants. This calls for the need to
develop a new model handling such processes, which is the
subject of this work. In the following sections, a formal problem
statement is first given, with the fundamental concepts for
model formulation discussed next. The mathematical model is
then presented, and its application is demonstrated using three
illustrative examples.
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The problem addressed in this paper can be formally stated as
follows: Given is a set of water-using units i ∈ 0 , which consists
of batch and continuous units (i ∈ 0 c). The former may
operate in truly batch (i ∈ 0 b) or semicontinuous mode (i ∈
0 sc). In addition, it is assumed in this work that batch
operations are carried out cyclically with a fixed schedule. These
units require water to remove a set of contaminants c ∈ * with
fixed mass loads from the process materials. Available for
service are a set of fresh-water sources w ∈ > with different
qualities. Effluents from the units are sent to a set of wastewater
disposal systems d ∈ + for final discharge or can be reused or
recycled for reducing fresh-water usage and wastewater
generation. To facilitate water allocation and recovery, a set
of storage tanks s ∈ : for temporary water storage may be
used. The objective of this work is to synthesize an optimal WN
that achieves the minimum fresh-water consumption while
satisfying all process constraints. A mathematical model is
therefore developed for locating the maximum extent of water
recovery and determining the corresponding WN configu-
ration, the water-storage profile(s), and the required storage
capacity.
Special Issue: PSE-2012
Received: September 17, 2012
Revised: January 3, 2013
Accepted: January 4, 2013
Published: January 4, 2013

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3. FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
In this section, the fundamental concepts on which the
mathematical model is based are presented, namely, those
relating to water-using unit types, the integration of units
operating in different modes, and the representation of time.
3.1. Operation Modes of Water-Using Units. Figure 1
illustrates three common operation modes for water-using Figure 2. Continuous-time representation over a cycle.

represented by the same index and set t ∈ ; . Note that

time points are used to describe the water use of truly batch
units and time intervals for semicontinuous units.

4. MODEL FORMULATION
With all continuous units being treated as semicontinuous ones,
the original problem becomes the synthesis of a WN for truly
batch and semicontinuous units. A mathematical model is then
developed to address the remaining problem. As an extension
of the formulation of Chen et al.,21 this model consists mainly
Figure 1. Types of water-using operations. of mass-balance equations and is based on a superstructure
including all feasible network connections between water-using
units. While a continuous unit operates uninterruptedly for a units (Figure 3a,b) and storage tanks (Figure 4). Notation used
long duration (e.g., 8000 h/year) spanning many operation in the formulation is given in the Nomenclature section.
cycles, truly batch and semicontinuous units are scheduled to
operate within certain periods of time (as short as a few hours
or days) and often in a cyclic manner. In addition, the operating
period of either a truly batch or semicontinuous unit is always
shorter than the batch cycle time. Regarding water usage, a truly
batch unit takes in water at the start and discharges wastewater
at the end of its operation. A typical example for this kind of
operation is the batch reaction for agrochemical production in
which water is used as the reaction solvent and for product
washing. By contrast, water intake and discharge for continuous
and semicontinuous units take place steadily during the course
of the operation. Typical examples for such operations include
the various extraction and washing processes in the chemical
industry.
3.2. Integration of Batch and Continuous Units. For
WN synthesis involving units of different operation modes, the
main challenge would be to integrate these units. In this work,
it is proposed to treat a continuous operation as a special case
of a semicontinuous operation existing over the whole batch
cycle time, as shown in Figure 1. This approach is based on the
assumption that changes in the water supply are acceptable Figure 3. Schematics of water-using units: (a) truly batch and (b)
even for continuous water-using operations. Because water semicontinuous units.
intake and discharge for truly batch units take place at time
points and for semicontinuous units in time intervals, direct
water transfers between truly batch and semicontinuous units 4.1. Mass Balance for Truly Batch Units. Figure 3a
are not happening. Therefore, water integration between these shows a schematic diagram of a truly batch unit i ∈ 0 b. Its inlet
two types of units can only be carried out indirectly via water- water may come from other truly batch units i′ (∈0 b), storage
storage tanks. tanks s, or fresh-water sources w, and the outlet water may be
3.3. Representation of Time for Cyclic Operation. The sent to other truly batch units i′, storage tanks s, or wastewater
structure of water minimization formulations for batch disposal systems d. Equations 1 and 2 describe the inlet and
processes is largely dictated by the treatment of time. In
most formulations, the time horizon of interest, or the cycle
time (H), is divided into several time intervals, with events
taking place only at the interval boundaries.
In this work, a continuous representation of time is
employed in which a cycle is divided into T time intervals
that are not necessarily of equal duration. As shown in Figure 2,
the interval boundaries (time points) in each cycle are
numbered from t = 1 to T + 1, with the latter coinciding
with the start of the next cycle, i.e., t = 1. Using this time
representation, both time intervals and points can be Figure 4. Schematic of a storage tank.

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outlet water flow balances for unit i ∈ 0 b at time point t, f iin Y itop = ∑ fi ′ it + ∑ fsit + ∑ fwit
respectively. By assuming truly batch units to operate without i ′∈ 0 sc s∈: w∈>
water losses or gains, the overall water flow balance for unit i ∈
0 b is quite simple, as given in eq 3. Note that ; SE ∀ i ∈ 0 sc, t ∈ ; (10)
i is the set of
time point pair(s) corresponding to the start and end times of
the operation of unit i ∈ 0 b. f iout Y itop = ∑ fii ′ t + ∑ fist + ∑ fidt
i ′∈ 0 sc s∈: d∈+
qitin = ∑ qi ′ it + ∑ qsit + ∑ qwit ∀ i ∈ 0 sc, t ∈ ; (11)
i ′∈ 0b s∈: w∈>

∀ i ∈ 0 b, t ∈ ; (1) f iin = f iout ∀ i ∈ 0 sc (12)

Contaminant balances for semicontinuous units are also
qitout = ∑ qii ′ t + ∑ qist + ∑ qidt considered. For unit i ∈ 0 sc, eq 13 defines the inlet balance in
i ′∈ 0b s∈: d∈+ time interval t and eq 14 the overall balance, which is
∀i∈ 0, t ∈ ; b
(2) performed for the operating periods. The maximum inlet and
outlet concentrations for a semicontinuous unit are specified by
qitin = qitout ∀ i ∈ 0b, (t , t ′) ∈ ; SE eqs 15 and 16. These two constraints, similar to eqs 8 and 9,
′ i (3) force the inlet and outlet concentrations of unit i ∈ 0 sc to be
The lower and upper bounds for the inlet and outlet water zero when it is not in operation.
flows of truly batch units are given by eqs 4 and 5 f iin c ict
in
∑ fi ′ it c i̅ out ∑ fsit c sct̅ out + ∑ fwit Cwc
̅ = ′ ct +
sc
i ′∈ 0 s∈: w∈>
Q iLY itS ≤ qitin ≤ Q iUY itS b
∀i∈ 0, t ∈ ; (4)
∀ c ∈ *, i ∈ 0 sc, t ∈ ; (13)
Q iLYitE ≤ qitout ≤ Q iUYitE ∀i∈ 0, t ∈ ; b
(5)
f iin c ict
in out out
̅ + M̅ ic = f i c ict
̅
YSit YEit
where and are binary parameters indicating the start and
∀ c ∈ *, i ∈ 0 sc, t ∈ ; iop (14)
end times of truly batch operations, respectively. These two
constraints ensure a reasonable amount of water entering and in in,max op
c ict
̅ ≤ Cic Y it ∀ c ∈ *, i ∈ 0 sc, t ∈ ; (15)
leaving a truly batch unit and that no water enters or leaves if it
is not time to begin or cease operation. out
c ict out,max op
∀ c ∈ *, i ∈ 0 sc, t ∈ ;
Apart from the water flow balances, contaminant balances for ̅ ≤ Cic Y it
(16)
truly batch units are also considered. For unit i ∈ 0 b, eq 6
defines the inlet balance at time point t and eq 7 the overall 4.3. Mass Balance for Storage Tanks. Figure 4 shows a
balance. The maximum inlet and outlet concentrations for a schematic diagram of a storage tank s. Its inlet water may come
truly batch unit are specified by eqs 8 and 9. Note that these from truly batch units i ∈ 0 b at time points or semicontinuous
two constraints force the inlet and outlet concentrations of unit units i ∈ 0 sc in time intervals; the outlet water of tank s may be
i ∈ 0 b to be zero when there is no water intake or discharge. sent to units i ∈ 0 b or 0 sc. Equations 17 and 18 describe the
water flow balances between tank s and truly batch units at time
qitincictin = ∑ qi ′ it ciout
′ ct + ∑ qsit csctout + ∑ qwit Cwc point t. Note that if there are inlet and outlet water flows for a
i ′∈ 0 b
s∈: w∈> tank at the same time point, the inlet flow is assumed to occur
∀ c ∈ * , i ∈ 0 b, t ∈ ; (6)
before the outlet flow. The water flow rate balances between
tank s and semicontinuous units in time interval t are given by
eqs 19 and 20.
qitincictin + Mic = qitout c out
′ ict ′
b
qstin = ∑ qist ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ;
∀ c ∈ *, i ∈ 0 , (t , t ′) ∈ ; SE
i (7) i ∈ 0b (17)

cictin ≤ Cicin,maxY itS ∀ c ∈ * , i ∈ 0 b, t ∈ ; (8) qstout = ∑ qsit ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ;

i ∈ 0b (18)
cictout ≤ Cicout,maxYitE ∀ c ∈ *, i ∈ 0 , t ∈ ; b
(9)
f stin = ∑ fist ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ;
4.2. Mass Balance for Semicontinuous Units. Figure 3b i ∈ 0 sc (19)
shows a schematic diagram of a semicontinuous unit i ∈ 0 sc. Its
inlet water may come from other semicontinuous units i′ (∈ f stout = ∑ fsit ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ;
i ∈ 0 sc (20)
0 sc), storage tanks s, or fresh-water sources w, while the outlet
water may be sent to other semicontinuous units i′, storage Equation 21 defines the overall water balance for tank s: the
tanks s, or wastewater disposal systems d. Equations 10 and 11 amount of water stored in tank s at a time point (t) is equal to
describe the inlet and outlet water flow rate balances for unit i that at the previous time point (t − 1) adjusted by the inlet and
∈ 0 sc in time interval t, respectively. Note that Yop
it is a binary outlet water flows during time interval t − 1 (i.e., the interval
parameter indicating whether unit i ∈ 0 sc operates in time between time points t − 1 and t) and those at time point t.
interval t. With the same assumption made for truly batch units, Note that eq 21 is applicable at time points t > 1. The overall
the overall water flow rate balance for unit i ∈ 0 sc is as simple water balance for tank s at the first time point (t = 1) is given by
as that in eq 12. eq 22, where T denotes the last time interval of a cycle.
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qst = qs , t − 1 + (f sin, t − 1 − f sout

,t−1
)Δt − 1 + qstin − qstout min ϕ1 = ∑ ∑ ∑ qwit + ∑ ∑ ∑ fwit Δt
x1∈Ω1
w ∈ > i ∈ 0b t ∈ ; w ∈ > i ∈ 0 sc t ∈ ;
∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ;, t > 1 (21) (33)
in out ⎧ c in , cictout , c ict
in out in out in out ⎫
qs1 = qsT + (f sT − f sT )ΔT + qsin1 − qsout
1
∀s∈ : ⎪ ictin ̅ , c ict
̅ , csct , csct , c sct ̅ , c sct
̅ , ⎪
out in out
(22) ⎪ fi , f i , fidt , fii ′ t , fist , fsit , f st , f st , fwit , ⎪
⎪ in ⎪
x1 ≡ ⎨ qit , qitout , qidt , qii ′ t , qist , qsit , qst , qstin , qstout , qwit , ystin ⎬
To provide sufficient time for water to be well mixed within a ⎪ ⎪
tank, so that the outlet concentration from the tank can be a ⎪ ∀ c ∈ *, d ∈ +, i , i′ ∈ 0, s ∈ :, t ⎪
constant in any time interval, eqs 23 and 24 are introduced to ⎪ ⎪
⎩ ∈ ;, w ∈ > ⎭
forbid the inlet and outlet water flows from occurring in the
(34)
same time interval, with binary variable yinst used to indicate the
occurrence of an inlet water flow to tank s in time interval t. Ω1 = {x1|Equations (1)−(32)} (35)
Equation 25 states that the amount of water leaving tank s in
time interval t cannot exceed the amount of water stored at where x1 is a vector of the variables and Ω1 a feasible solution
time point t. The capacity constraint for storage tanks is given space defined by the constraints. Because of the presence of
by eqs 26 and 27. bilinear terms in the contaminant balance equations (eqs 6, 7,
13, 14, and 28−31) and the use of binary variables for storage
FsLystin ≤ f stin ≤ FsUystin ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ; (23) tanks, the model is a mixed-integer nonlinear program
(MINLP).
f stout ≤ FsU(1 − ystin ) ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ; Because there would be degenerate solutions with the same
(24)
minimum fresh-water consumption, a second objective has to
be imposed to obtain the preferred designs among the
f stout Δt ≤ qst ∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ; (25) alternatives. The second objective function used in this work
is to minimize the total storage capacity (eq 36), in which case
qs , t − 1 + (f sin, t − 1 − f sout
,t−1
)Δt − 1 + qstin ≤ Q scap the capacity of individual tanks (Qcap s ) in eqs 26 and 27
becomes a variable (rewritten as qscap) to be optimized.
∀ s ∈ :, t ∈ ;, t > 1 (26) Additionally, the earlier determined minimum fresh-water
in out
consumption (ϕ1*) is added as a constraint. The resulting
qsT + (f sT − f sT )ΔT + qsin1 ≤ Q scap ∀s∈ : (27) model is also an MINLP.
In addition to the water balances, contaminant balances for min ϕ2 =
x2 ∈ Ω 2
∑ qscap
storage tanks are also considered. Equations 28 and 29 describe s∈: (36)
the inlet balances for tank s for contaminant flows from truly
batch units at time point t and from semicontinuous units in x2 ≡ x1 ∪ {qscap , ∀ s ∈ :} (37)
time interval t, respectively. The overall contaminant balance
⎧ Equations (1)−(32) ⎫
for tank s is given by eqs 30 and 31. Because the inlet and outlet ⎪ ⎪
water flows of tank s cannot exist in the same time interval, the Ω 2 = ⎨x2 ⎬
outlet concentration from tank s in time interval t will be equal ⎪ ∑ ∑ ∑ qwit + ∑ ∑ ∑ fwit Δt = ϕ1*⎪
⎩ w ∈ > i ∈ 0b t ∈ ; w ∈ > i ∈ 0 sc t ∈ ; ⎭
to the concentration inside tank s at time point t, as given in eq
(38)
32.
Note that the second objective function (representing the
qstincsct
in
= ∑ qist cictout ∀ c ∈ *, s ∈ :, t ∈ ; total storage capacity) can be regarded as a linear proxy for the
i ∈ 0b capital cost of storage tanks. However, it is sometimes more
(28) appropriate to use a capital cost function with both fixed and
variable cost terms, especially when the number of tanks is also
f stin c sct
in
̅ = ∑ out
fist c ict
̅ ∀ c ∈ *, s ∈ :, t ∈ ; to be optimized.
sc
i∈0 Similar sequential approaches are found in the literature.
(29) Majozi18 presented a two-stage algorithm for fresh-water and
out reusable water-storage minimization in batch plants. In the first
qst csct = qs , t − 1cscout, t − 1 + (f sin, t − 1 c sc̅ in, t − 1 − f sout c ̅ out, t − 1)Δt − 1
, t − 1 sc stage, the fresh-water requirement is minimized; in the second
stage, the amount of water stored over the time horizon is
+ qstincsct
in
− qstoutcsct
out
minimized subject to the earlier set fresh-water target.
∀ c ∈ *, s ∈ :, t ∈ ;, t > 1 (30) However, the objective of the second stage may fail to
eliminate the peak of the storage profile, which determines the
required tank size. In addition, Shoaib et al.19 proposed a
qs1cscout out in in
1 = qsT cscT + (f sT c scT
out out
̅ − f sT c scT
in in
̅ )ΔT + qs1 csc1 hierarchical approach for the synthesis of batch WNs. This
− qsout c out ∀ c ∈ *, s ∈ : (31)
approach involves three stages in which the fresh-water flow,
1 sc1
the number of tanks, and the number of connections are
out out minimized sequentially.
c sct
̅ = csct ∀ c ∈ *, s ∈ :, t ∈ ; (32)
4.4. Objective Functions. For maximum water recovery, 5. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
the objective function is to minimize the total fresh-water Three literature examples are solved to illustrate the proposed
consumption for the water-using operations: approach. In these examples, the model is implemented in the
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GAMS environment22 on a Core 2, 2.00 GHz processor with Table 2. Operation Parameters for Example 1
BARON as the MINLP solver.
time point/interval
5.1. Example 1: Integration of Truly Batch and
Continuous Units. The first example is adapted from parameter unit t=1 t=2 t=3 t=4 t=5 t=6
Majozi17 by adding a continuous unit (F) to the five truly YSit A 1 0 0 0 0 0
batch units (A−E). Table 1 shows the operating data for these B 1 0 0 0 0 0
C 0 0 0 1 0 0
Table 1. Operating Data for the Water-Using Operations for D 0 1 0 0 0 0
Example 1 E 0 0 0 0 0 1
YEit A 0 0 1 0 0 0
limiting B 0 0 0 1 0 0
concentration
(ppm) time (h) C 0 0 0 0 1 0
D 0 0 0 0 0 1
unit limiting flow (t) Cin,max
ic Cout,max
ic mass load start end
E 1 0 0 0 0 0
A 0 100 100 kg 0 3
Yop
it F 1 1 1 1 1 1
B 250 510 72.8 kg 0 4
C [300, 400] 100 100 0 kg 4 5.5
D 250 510 72.8 kg 2 6
E [300, 400] 100 100 0 kg 6 7.5
F 100 250 25 kg/h 0 7.5

water-using units, with the corresponding Gantt chart shown in

Figure 5. The cycle time for repeated batch operation is 7.5 h.
According to the scheduled start and end times of operation for
units A−E, the cycle time is divided into six time intervals with
six time points used, and the values of binary parameters YSit, YEit ,
and Yopit are set as in Table 2. Note that unit F is treated as a
semicontinuous unit operating in all of the time intervals. In
this example, a single uncontaminated fresh-water source (Cwc =
0) is available for use.
Before considering water integration, in which case all water-
using units use fresh water without reuse/recycle, the minimum
Figure 6. WN configuration for example 1.
fresh-water requirement is calculated to be 2635.49 t per cycle.
With two storage tanks available to facilitate water recovery, the
model involves 486 constraints, 615 continuous variables, and 5.2. Example 2: Integration of Semicontinuous and
12 binary variables. It is solved in 4 CPU s with the minimum Continuous Units. The second example is adapted from Kim
fresh-water consumption determined to be 1150 t per cycle. and Smith15 by adding a continuous unit (U5) to the four
This corresponds to a 56.36% reduction in the fresh-water use semicontinuous units (U1−U4). Table 3 shows the limiting
compared to the situation without water recovery. Figure 6 conditions and timing data for the water-using operations, with
shows the optimal WN configuration. In this arrangement, only the corresponding Gantt chart shown in Figure 8. The cycle
units A and F use fresh water; both tanks are employed for time for repeated batch operation is 5 h. According to the
water reuse, and there is no direct water transfer between units. scheduled operating periods of units U1−U4, the cycle time is
Tank 1 (ST1) stores effluents from units A, C, and E for reuse divided into four time intervals with four time points used, and
in units C, E, and F, while tank 2 (ST2) allows effluents from the values of binary parameter Yop
it are set as in Table 4. In this
units A and F to be reused in units B−D. Figure 7 shows the example, a single pure fresh-water source is available for use.
water-storage profiles of the tanks. The capacities required are Before carrying out water integration, the minimum fresh-
720 t for ST1 and 280 t for ST2. water requirement is calculated to be 480 t per cycle. With the

Figure 5. Gantt chart for repeated batch operation for example 1.

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Figure 7. Water-storage profiles for example 1.

Table 3. Limiting Water Data for Example 2 Figure 9. WN configuration for example 2.
limiting concentration
(ppm) time (h)
unit Cin,max
ic Cout,max
ic mass load (kg/h) start end
U1 0 100 2 0 1
U2 50 100 5 1 3.5
U3 50 800 30 3 5
U4 400 800 4 1 3
U5 200 400 20 0 5

Figure 10. Water-storage profile for example 2.

previous two, with the units in example 1 constituting the first

plant (plant 1) and those in example 2 the second plant (plant
2). However, plant 1 is operated in overlapping batches, which
decreases the cycle time from 7.5 to 5 h. According to the
Gantt charts for both plants shown in Figure 11, the common

Figure 8. Gantt chart for repeated batch operation for example 2.

Table 4. Operation Parameters for Example 2

time interval
parameter unit t=1 t=2 t=3 t=4
Yop
it U1 1 0 0 0
U2 0 1 1 0
U3 0 0 1 1
U4 0 1 0 0
U5 1 1 1 1

use of one storage tank, the model involves 160 constraints, 255
continuous variables, and 4 binary variables. It is solved in 1
CPU s with the minimum fresh-water consumption determined
to be 356.25 t per cycle. This corresponds to a 25.78%
reduction in the fresh-water use compared to the case without
water recovery. Figure 9 shows the optimal WN configuration.
Note that most water reuse is carried out directly between
Figure 11. Gantt charts for example 3.
units; only part of the effluent from U2 is stored for reuse in
U5. Figure 10 shows the water-storage profile of the tank. The
capacity required is 47.5 t.
5.3. Example 3: Interplant Integration of All Three cycle time of 5 h is divided into eight time intervals with eight
Types of Units. To demonstrate the applicability of the time points defined. Both in-plant and interplant integration
proposed model for WN synthesis involving truly batch, scenarios are analyzed in this example.
semicontinuous, and continuous units, a combined two-plant Prior to exploration of the water reuse/recycle opportunities,
example is considered. This example is a combination of the the minimum fresh-water requirements in plants 1 and 2 are
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Table 5. Operation Parameters for Example 3

time point/interval
parameter unit t=1 t=2 t=3 t=4 t=5 t=6 t=7 t=8
YSit A 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
D 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
E 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
YEit A 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
C 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
D 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
E 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Yop
it F 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
U1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
U2 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0
U3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
U4 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
U5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Figure 12. Interplant WN configuration for example 3.

Figure 13. Water flow rate profiles between continuous units and tanks.

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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
calculated to be 2385.49 and 480 t per cycle, respectively, with a
total of 2865.49. This is taken as the base case.
In-plant water integration is first considered for both plants.
In the presence of two storage tanks, the minimum fresh-water
consumption of plant 1 is found to be 1000 t per cycle. Note
that optimizing water utilization for plant 1 alone needs only
seven time intervals and seven time points. The corresponding
model has 565 constraints, 717 continuous variables, and 14
binary variables and is solved in 3 CPU s. For plant 2, the
minimum fresh-water consumption is the same as that in
example 2, i.e. 356.25 t per cycle. The total of 1356.25 t per
cycle corresponds to a 52.67% reduction in the fresh-water use
compared to the base case. Detailed results for water
integration in plant 1 are not shown for brevity.
Interplant water integration is then considered. Table 5
shows the values of binary parameters (YSit, YEit , and Yop
it ) for this
case. With the use of two centralized storage tanks, the overall
model involves 869 constraints, 1429 continuous variables, and
16 binary variables. The minimum fresh-water consumption of
1185 t per cycle is obtained in 18 CPU s. This result
corresponds to a 58.65% reduction in the fresh-water use
compared to the base case and shows an almost further 6%
reduction compared to the in-plant integration case. Figure 12
shows the optimal interplant WN configuration, with detailed
flow rate profiles between continuous units and tanks shown in
Figure 13. Note that in plant 1 the fresh-water intake is more
than the wastewater discharge, while a contrary situation is
found in plant 2. This indicates a net cross-plant water flow of
372.4 t per cycle from plant 1 to 2. Figure 14 shows the water-
storage profiles of the tanks. The required capacities of ST1 and
ST2 are 1148 and 245.19 t, respectively.
Figure 14. Water-storage profiles for example 3.
5.4. Discussion. All of the minimum fresh-water con-
sumptions reported in examples 1−3 agree with the water
targets obtained using the insight-based targeting methods
(such as the time-dependent water cascade analysis technique23)
and have proven to be globally optimal. However, because of
the MINLP formulation, global optimality for the minimization
of storage capacity cannot be guaranteed.
Instead of taking water reduction as the overriding concern,
the minimum fresh-water constraint may sometimes be relaxed
to further simplify the WN for the trade-off between water
7054
Article
consumption and network complexity. There are also cases
with the trade-off between the water recovery potential and the
requirement for storage or regeneration systems to be
analyzed.24 Hence, a more comprehensive formulation would
be required to address the conflicting objectives in WN
synthesis.
6. CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, with a continuous process treated as a special case
of a semicontinuous process, a mathematical model has been
developed for the synthesis of WNs for truly batch and
semicontinuous units in cyclic operation with a fixed schedule.
Three examples adapted from literature were solved to illustrate
the proposed approach. The results show that significant
reductions in fresh-water consumption as well as wastewater
generation can be achieved through in-plant and interplant
water integration. Future work will focus on other cases of WN
synthesis with more different types of units, e.g., truly batch/
semicontinuous water sources and sinks and their various
combinations, along with the development of suitable case
studies. The incorporation of regeneration processes and a
scheduling framework into the model also remains as the
subject of future work. It should be noted that having a flexible
schedule can further reduce the need for storage.
■
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*Tel.: +886-2-33663039. Fax: +886-2-23623040. E-mail:
CCL@ntu.edu.tw.
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank the National Science Council for supporting
this research under Grants NSC101-3113-E-002-004 and
NSC99-2221-E-002-187-MY3.
■ NOMENCLATURE
Indices and Sets
c ∈ * = contaminants
d ∈ + = wastewater disposal systems
i ∈ 0 = water-using units
i ∈ 0 b ⊂ 0 = truly batch units
i ∈ 0 sc ⊂ 0 = semicontinuous units
i ∈ 0 c ⊂ 0 sc = continuous units
s ∈ : = storage tanks
t ∈ ; = time points/intervals
(t, t′) ∈ ; SE
i = start and end time points for the operation of
truly batch unit i
t ∈ ; opi = operating periods of semicontinuous unit i
w ∈ > = fresh-water sources
Parameters
Cin,max
ic = maximum inlet concentration of contaminant c for
unit i
Cout,max
ic = maximum outlet concentration of contaminant c
for unit i
Cwc = concentration of contaminant c in fresh-water source w
FLs = lower bound for the inlet water flow rate to tank s
FUs = upper bound for the inlet/outlet water flow rate of tank
s
Mic = mass load of contaminant c in unit i ∈ 0 b
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ie302521v | Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2013, 52, 7047−7055
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

■
Article

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