An advanced Grid Diagram for heat exchanger network retrofit with detailed plate heat exchanger design

This paper presents a method for heat exchanger network (HEN) optimisation considering plate heat exchangers (PHEs), incorporating detailed PHEs design. The developed method starts from a mathematical model based on the Advanced Grid Diagram, which can optimise the HEN structure. The model minimises the energy consumption cost with the constraints that enable a solution thermodynamically feasible. Then comes the heat exchanger type selection part, which is provided by a graphical tool helping to identify which types of the heat exchanger are feasible. The feasible temperature range can be easily visualised to avoid the temperature violation of PHEs. This selection part integrates the area calculation and cost calculation with the detailed heat exchanger design. The method has been tested by a case study of crude oil distillation system illustrating that the application of brazed plate heat exchangers (BHEs) of CB series manufactured by Alfa Laval can save 6.6% of the investment cost for new heat exchangers compared with the retrofit plan that only shell-and-tube and double pipe heat exchangers are used.