Optimal design of heat-integrated multipurpose batch facilities

Abstract

This paper presents a mathematical formulation for the detailed design with heat-integration of multi-purpose batch process facilities. This appears as an extension of the design model proposed by Barbosa-Póvoa and Macchietto (1994) . Economic savings in utility requirements are studied while considering the possibility of having direct plant heat integration with associated costs of the auxiliary equipment. The heat-transfer equipment structures are designed simultaneously with the plant processing and storing equipment as well as the associated connectivity. The problem is formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Problem (MILP) where, binary variables characterise operational and topological choices. The applicability of the proposed model is shown via the solution of an illustrative example.