Targeting for cogeneration potential through total site integration

Total site integration offers energy conservation opportunities across different individual processes and also to design as well as to optimize the central utility system. In total site integration of the overall process, indirect integration with intermediate fluids or through a central utility system are preferred as it offers greater advantages of flexibility and process control but with reduced energy conservation opportunities. To achieve the maximum possible indirect integration between processes assisted heat transfer. i.e., heat transfer outside the region between process pinch points. plays a significant role. A new concept is proposed in this paper for total site integration by generating a site level grand composite curve (SGCC). Proposed SGCC targets the maximum possible indirect integration as it incorporates assisted heat transfer. In this paper, a methodology is proposed to estimate the cogeneration potential at the total site level, utilizing the concept of multiple utility targeting on the SGCC, The proposed methodology to estimate the cogeneration potential is simple and linear as well as utilizes the rigorous energy balance at each steam header. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved