COMPUTERIZED OPTIMUM DESIGN AND DYNAMIC SIMULATION OF HEAT-EXCHANGER NETWORKS

To assist the design engineer to more flexible and controllable, near optimum cost, heat exchanger networks, a computer program, called CAD-HEN (Computer Aided Design of Heat Exchanger Networks), based on thermodynamic principles, was developed. Dynamic simulation and response analysis of the heat exchanger network can be done by the SpeedUp dynamic process simulator by using a specific model. CAD-HEN handles supertargeting, synthesis, and optimization of a heat exchanger network. The targeting and optimization procedures are graphical and interactive. The user views various plots, such as Total Cost Target profile and Grand Composite Curves. An automatic synthesis algorithm, based on the vertical heat transfer model is used to generate in the stream grid environment a near minimum surface network which is optimized with a simplified loop breaking algorithm. A specific model for SpeedUp was developed in order to proceed at dynamic simulation and detailed control study of an existing heat exchanger network.