Pinch Analysis

Dr. Eng. Hundessa Dessalegn

 Pinch Analysis
What is Pinch Analysis?

The prime objective of Pinch Analysis is to achieve financial savings in the

process industries by optimizing the ways in which process utilities
(particularly energy, mass, water, and hydrogen), are applied for a wide
variety of purposes.
The Heat Recovery Pinch (Thermal Pinch Analysis now) was
discovered independently by Hohmann (71), Umeda et al. (78-79) and
Linnhoff et al. (78-79).
Pinch Analysis does this by making an inventory of all producers and
consumers of these utilities and then systematically designing an optimal
scheme of utility exchange between these producers and consumers.
Energy, Mass, and  water re-use are at the heart of Pinch Analysis
activities.
With the application of Pinch Analysis, savings can be achieved in both
capital investment and operating cost. Emissions can be minimized and
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throughput maximized.
 Pinch Analysis
FEATURES

The Pinch analysis is a technique to design:

•Recovery Networks (Heat and Mass)
•Utility Networks (so called Total site Analysis)
•The basis of Pinch Analysis:
The use of thermodynamic principles (first and second law).
The use heuristics (insight), about design and economy.

•The Pinch Analysis makes extensive use of various graphical

representations

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 Pinch Analysis

•The Pinch Analysis provides insights about the process.

•In Pinch analysis, the design engineering controls the design

procedure (interactive method).

•The pinch Analysis integrates economic parameters

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 Pinch Analysis
The Four phases of pinch analysis in the design of recovery process:

Which involves collecting

Process
data for the process and the
utility system
Simulation Which establishes figures for
the best performance in
Where an
various aspects. initial Heat
Data Extraction Exchanger Network is
established by heuristics tools
Targeting allowing a minimum target to
be reached.
Where an initial design is
simplified and improved
Design economically.

Optimization

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Pinch Analysis
Heat Exchanger Network (HEN)

 HEN design is the classical domain of Pinch Analysis. By making

proper use of temperature driving forces available between
process steams, the optimum heat exchanger network can be
designed, taking into account constraints of equipment location,
materials of construction, safety, control, and operating
flexibility. This then sets the hot and cold utility demand profile
of the plant.
 When used correctly, Pinch Analysis yields optimum HEN
designs that one would have been unlikely to obtain by
experience and intuition alone.

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Pinch Analysis
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
 CHP is the terminology used to describe plant energy utilities,
boilers, steam turbines, gas turbines, heat pumps, etc.
Traditionally, these have been referred to as "plant utilities",
without distinguishing them from other plant utilities such as
cooling water and wastewater treatment.
 The CHP system supplies the hot utility and power requirements
of the process. Pinch Analysis offers a convenient way to
guarantee the optimum design, which can include the use of
cogeneration or three-generation (use of hot utility to produce
cold utility and power for things like refrigeration).

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 Pinch Analysis
Possible Benefits:

 One of the main advantages of Pinch Analysis over

conventional design methods is the ability to set a target
energy consumption for an individual process or for an entire
production site before to design the processes. The energy
target is the minimum theoretical energy demand for the plant
or site.
 Pinch Analysis will therefore quickly identify where energy
savings are likely to be found.
 Reduction of emissions
 Pinch Analysis enable to the engineer with tool to find the best
way to change the process, if the process let it.
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 Pinch Analysis
In addition, Pinch Analysis allow you to:
 Update or Development of Process Flow Diagrams
 Identify the bottleneck in the process
 Departmental Simulations
 Full Plant Facilities Simulation
 Determine Minimal Heating (Steam) and Cooling Requirements
 Determine Cogeneration and Three-generation Opportunities
 Determine Projects with Cost Estimates to Achieve Energy
Savings
 Evaluation of New Equipment Configurations for the Most
Economical Installation
 Pinch Replaces the Old Energy Studies with a Live Study that
Can Be Easily Updated Using Simulation
NEXT
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Heat Integration

Pinch technology
 The development and application of the method can be illustrated by
considering the problem of integrating the utilisation of energy between
4 process streams.
 Two hot streams which require cooling, and two cold streams that have
to be heated.
 The process data for the streams is set out in Table 3.3.

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• Each stream starts from a source temperature Ts, and is to

be heated or cooled to a target temperature Tt.
• The heat capacity of each stream is shown as CP.
• For streams where the specific heat capacity can be taken
as constant, and there is no phase change, CP will be given
by:

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The heat load shown in the table is the total heat required to heat, or
cool, the stream from the source to target temperature (see table
below).
There is clearly scope for energy integration between these four streams.
Two require heating and two cooling; and the stream temperatures are
such that heat can be transferred from the hot to the cold streams.
The task is to find the best arrangement of heat exchangers to achieve
the target temperatures.

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Simple two-stream problem

 Before investigating the energy integration of the four
streams shown in the Table , the use of a temperature-
enthalpy diagram will be illustrated for a simple problem
involving only two streams.
 The general problem of heating and cooling two streams
from source to target temperatures is shown in Figure 3.19.
 Some heat is exchanged between the streams in the heat
exchanger.
 Additional heat, to raise the cold stream to the target
temperature, is provided by the hot utility (usually steam) in
the heater; and additional cooling to bring the hot stream to
its target temperature, by the cold utility (usually cooling
water) in the cooler.
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 In Figure 3.20 the stream temperatures are plotted on the y-axis and the
enthalpy change in each stream on the x-axis.
 For heat to be exchanged a minimum temperature difference must be
maintained between the two streams.
 The practical minimum temperature difference in a heat exchanger will
usually be between 10 and 20°C

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 The heat transferred between the streams is shown

on the diagram as ΔHex and the heat transferred
from the utilities as ΔHcold and ΔHhot:
ΔH = CP x (temperature change)
 Comparing Figure 3.20a and b:
 the amount of heating and cooling needed will depend
on the minimum temperature difference.
 Decreasing ΔTmin will increase the amount of heat
exchanged between the two streams and so decrease
the consumption of the hot and cold utilities..

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Four stream problem

 In Figure 3.2la the hot streams given in Table 3.3 are shown plotted on
a temperature-enthalpy diagram.
 As the diagram shows changes in the enthalpy of the streams, it does
not matter where a particular curve is plotted on the enthalpy axis; as
long as the curve runs between the correct temperatures.
 This means that where more than one stream appears in a temperature
interval, the stream heat capacities can be added to give the composite
curve shown in Figure 3.2Ib.
 In Figure 3.22, the composite curve for the hot streams and the
composite curve for cold streams are drawn with a minimum
temperature difference, the displacement between the curves, of 10°C.
 This implies that in any of the exchangers to be used in the network
the temperature difference between the streams will not be less than
10°C.

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 As for the two-stream problem, the displacement of the curves at

the top and bottom of the diagram gives the hot and cold utility
requirements.
 These will be the minimum values needed to satisfy the target
temperatures.
 It gives the designer target values for the utilities to aim for when
designing the exchanger network.
 Any design can be compared with the minimum utility requirements
to check if further improvement is possible.
 In most exchanger networks the minimum temperature difference
will occur at only one point. This is termed the pinch.
 In the problem being considered, the pinch occurs at between 90°C
on the hot stream curve and 80°C on the cold stream curve.

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Significance of the Pinch

 The pinch divides the system into two distinct
thermodynamic regions.
 The region above the pinch can be considered a heat sink,
with heat flowing into it, from the hot utility, but not out of
it.
 Below the pinch the converse is true. Heat flows out of the
region to the cold utility.
 No heat flows across the pinch.
 If a network is designed that requires heat to flow across
the pinch, then the consumption of the hot and cold utilities
will be greater than the minimum values that could be
achieved.
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The problem table method

 The problem table is the name given by Linnhoff and Flower to a
numerical method for determining the pinch temperatures and the
minimum utility requirements
 Once understood, it is the preferred method, avoiding the need to draw
the composite curves and maneuver the composite cooling curve using,
for example, tracing paper or cut-outs, to give the chosen minimum
temperature difference on the diagram.
 The procedure is as follows:
1. Convert the actual stream temperatures Tact into interval temperatures
Tint by subtracting half the minimum temperature difference from the
hot stream temperatures, and by adding half to the cold stream
temperatures:

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The use of the interval temperature rather than the actual temperatures
allows the minimum temperature difference to be taken into account.
ΔTmin = 10°C for the problem being considered; see Table 3.4.

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2. Note any duplicated interval temperatures. These are bracketed in Table

3.4.
3. Rank the interval temperatures in order of magnitude, showing the
duplicated temperatures only once in the order; see Table 3.5.
4. Carry out a heat balance for the streams falling within each temperature
interval:

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5. "Cascade" the heat surplus from one interval to the next down the
column of interval temperatures; Figure 3.23a.
Cascading the heat from one interval to the next implies that the
temperature difference is such that the heat can be transferred
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between the hot and cold streams.
Heat Integration

 The presence of a negative value in the column indicates

that the temperature gradient is in the wrong direction and
that the exchange is not thermodynamically possible.
 This difficulty can be overcome if heat is introduced into
the top of the cascade:
6. Introduce just enough heat to the top of the cascade to
eliminate all the negative values; see Figure 3.23b.
 Comparing the composite curve, Figure 3.22, with Figure
3.23b shows that the heat introduced to the cascade is the
minimum hot utility requirement and the heat removed at
the bottom is the minimum cold utility required.

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Heat Integration

 The pinch occurs in Figure 3.23b where the heat flow in

the cascade is zero.
 This is as would be expected from the rule that for
minimum utility requirements no heat flows across the
pinch.
 In Figure 3.23b the pinch temperatures are 80 and 90°C,
as was found using the composite stream curves.
 It is not necessary to draw up a separate cascade diagram.
This was done in Figure 3.23 to illustrate the principle.
 The cascaded values can be added to the problem table as
two additional columns.

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Summary
 For maximum heat recovery and minimum use of

utilities:
1. Do not transfer heat across the pinch
2. Do not use hot utilities below the pinch
3. Do not use cold utilities above the pinch

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3. The heat exchanger network

Grid representation
 It is convenient to represent a heat exchanger
network as a grid; see Figure 3.24.
 The process streams are drawn as horizontal lines,
with the stream numbers shown in square boxes.
 Hot streams are drawn at the top of the grid, and
flow from left to right.
 The cold streams are drawn at the bottom, and flow
from right to left.
 The stream heat capacities CP are shown in a column
at the end of the stream lines.

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Heat Integration

 Heat exchangers are drawn as two circles connected by a vertical line.

 The circles connect the two streams between which heat is being
exchanged; that is, the streams that would flow through the actual
exchanger.
 Heater and coolers are drawn as a single circle, connected to the
appropriate utility.

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Heat Integration

Network design for maximum energy recovery

 The analysis carried out in Figure 3.22, and Figure 3.23, has shown
that the minimum utility requirements for the problem set out in Table
3.3 are 50 kW of the hot and 30 kW of the cold utility; and that the
pinch occurs where the cold streams are at 80 and the hot 90°C.
 The grid representation of the streams is shown in Figure 3.25.
 The vertical dotted lines represent the pinch and separate the grid into
the regions above and below the pinch.
 For maximum energy recovery (minimum utility consumption) the best
performance is obtained if no cooling is used above the pinch.
 This means that the hot streams above the pinch should be brought to
the pinch temperature solely by exchange with the cold streams

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 The network design is therefore started at the pinch; finding feasible

matches between streams to fulfil this aim.
 In making a match adjacent to the pinch the heat capacity CP of the hot
stream should be equal to or less than that of the cold stream.
 This is to ensure that the minimum temperature difference between the
curves is maintained.
 The slope of a line on the temperature-enthalpy diagram is equal to the
reciprocal of the heat capacity.
 So, above the pinch the lines will converge if CPhot exceeds CPcold and as
the streams start with a separation at the pinch equal to ΔTmin, the
minimum temperature condition would be violated.
 Below the pinch the procedure is the same; the aim being to bring the
cold streams to the pinch temperature by exchange with the hot streams.
 For streams adjacent to the pinch the criterion for matching streams is
that the heat capacity of the cold stream must be equal to or greater than
the hot stream, to avoid breaking the minimum temperature difference
condition.
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 Heat Integration

The network design above the pinch

 CPhot < CPcold

1. Applying this condition at the pinch, stream 1 can be matched with

stream 4, but not with 3.
Matching streams 1 and 4 and transferring the full amount of heat
required to bring stream 1 to the pinch temperature gives:

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Stream splitting
 If the heat capacities of streams are such that it is not

possible to make a match at the pinch without violating

the minimum temperature difference condition, then the
heat capacity can be altered by splitting a stream.
 Dividing the stream will reduce the mass flow-rates in

each leg and hence the heat capacities.

 This is illustrated in Example 3.16.

 Guide rules for stream matching and splitting are given in

the Institution of Chemical Engineers Guide, IChemE

(1994).

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4. Minimum number of exchangers

 The network shown in Figure 3.27 was designed to give the
maximum heat recovery, and will therefore give the minimum
consumption, and cost, of the hot and cold utilities.
 This will not necessarily be the optimum design for the network.
 The optimum design will be that which gives the lowest total
annual costs: taking into account the capital cost of the system,
in addition to the utility and other operating costs.
 The number of exchangers in the network, and their size, will
determine the capital cost.
 In Figure 3.27 it is clear that there is scope for reducing the
number of exchangers.
 Exchanger D can be deleted and the heat loads of the cooler
and heater increased to bring streams 2 and 3 to their target
temperatures.

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Heat Integration

 Heat would cross the pinch and the consumption of the utilities
would be increased.
 Whether the revised network would be better, more economic,
would depend on the relative cost of capital and utilities.
 For any network there will be an optimum design that gives the
least annual cost: capital charges plus utility and other
operating costs.
 To find the optimum design it will be necessary to cost a
number of alternative designs, seeking a compromise between
the capital costs, determined by the number and size of
 the exchangers, and the utility costs, determined by the heat
recovery achieved.

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 For simple networks Holmann (1971) has shown that the minimum
number of exchangers is given by:

where Zmin = minimum number of exchangers needed, including heaters

and coolers,
N' = the number of streams, including the utilities
 For complex networks a more general expression is needed to
determine the minimum number of exchangers:

where L' = the number of internal loops present in the network

S = the number of independent branches (subsets) that exist in the
network.
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 A loop exists where a close path can be traced through the network.
 There is a loop in the network shown in Figure 3.27.
 The loop is shown in Figure 3.28.
 The presence of a loop indicates that there is scope for reducing the
number of exchangers.

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In summary, to seek the optimum design for a network:

1. Start with the design for maximum heat recovery. The number of
exchangers needed will be equal to or less than the number for
maximum energy recovery.
2. Identify loops that cross the pinch. The design for maximum heat
recovery will usually contain loops.
3. Starting with the loop with the least heat load, break the loops by
adding or subtracting heat.
4. Check that the specified minimum temperature difference Armjn has not
been violated, and revise the design as necessary to restore the ΔTmin.
5. Estimate the capital and operating costs, and the total annual cost.
6. Repeat the loop breaking and network revision to find the lowest cost
design.
7. Consider the safety, operability and maintenance aspects of the
proposed design.

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Importance of the minimum temperature difference

 In a heat exchanger, the heat-transfer area required to transfer a
specified heat load is inversely proportional to the temperature
difference between the streams.
 This means that the value chosen for ΔTmin will determine the size of
the heat exchangers in a network.
 Reducing ΔTmin will increase the heat recovery, decreasing the utility
consumption and cost, but at the expense of an increase in the
exchanger size and capital cost.
 For any network there will be a best value for the minimum
temperature difference that will give the lowest total annual costs.
 The effect of changes in the specified ΔTmin need to be investigated
when optimising a heat recovery system.

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5. Threshold problems
 Problems that show the characteristic of requiring only either a hot utility
or a cold utility (but not both) over a range of minimum temperature
differences, from zero up to a threshold value, are known as threshold
problems.
 A threshold problem is illustrated in Figure 3.29.
 To design the heat exchanger network for a threshold problem, it is
normal to start at the most constrained point.
 The problem can often be treated as one half of a problem exhibiting a
pinch.
 Threshold problems are encountered in the process industries.
 A pinch can be introduced in such problems if multiple utilities are used, as
in the recovery of heat to generate steam.

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