Abstract
Various configurations of vapor recompression (VRC), bottoms flashing (BF) and external heat pump (EHP) for energy and/or costs savings were proposed in literature. Based on published studies, the best configuration for having the highest performance among the proposed separation systems cannot be easily identified by process engineers as the basis for comparison were not the same. In this study, a comparative study was carried out among the most recent configurations of VRC, BF, EHP and two previously proposed ideas for thermal enhancement of VRC. Based on the schemes and ideas presented by previous researchers, 18 heat pump assisted configurations were designed for separation of propylene from a propylene-propane mixture. The highest total energy saving of 93.8% was identified upon application of a configuration, designed based on heat recuperation ideas. Based on the results of current research, the BF exhibited the best economic performance among the basic heat pump systems, while the external heat pump system exhibited the worst energy and economic performance compared to the other designs. The base conventional distillation column was found to have the lowest capital costs (15.6 mUSD), while a heat recuperated VRC system had the lowest annual operating costs (3.04 mUSD) and total annual costs (7.63 mUSD).
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