The Consequences of Unpredictable Development of Economic Conditions on Heat Exchanger Network Configurations and Economic Results

The work reported in the present paper was carried out in connection with a comprehensive process integration study of a fertiliser plant in Lithuania. However, the investigation reported presently only concerns a constructed example with seven process streams. four hot streams and three cold streams.

The primary objective of the present work was to gain an understanding of the influence of dramatic economic changes on heat exchanger network (HEN) configurations, their profitability and how an existing HEN could restrict future possibilities of heat recovery. HENs were designed to maximise the net present value (NPV) of investment and savings during a desired depreciation period for the conditions before the economic changes (State 1), after the economic changes (State 2), and for a retrofit of the "State 1" HEN under "State 2" conditions.

The study required six different strategies to be considered, and the economic results. expressed as NPV of investment and savings, are presented and discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.