Industrial Process Heat Pumps--Some Unconventional Wisdom

Abstract

Recent research on the cost-effective use of industrial process heat pumps challenges some popularly held perceptions about the appropriate use of this technology. Also challenged are some common approaches to identifying technically sound and economically advantageous applications. This research draws heavily on process integration insights. Building on previously formulated principles of "appropriate placement," a generic methodology has been developed for examining heat pumping as an alternative to increased heat integration in any process. PC-based software to execute this methodology will soon be available. Though some results of this research have been previously reported, this paper summarizes some of the more important practical implications of this work for future industrial process heat pump use. Pinch technology-based approaches to identifying and evaluating heat pump opportunities are contrasted to "conventional wisdom" to highlight the shortcomings of often-used, but error-prone empirical techniques. Such shortcomings include missed heat pump opportunities, misapplication and faulty heat pump placement, oversizing, misleading economic analyses, and the squandering of low investment, high payback heat integration opportunities.