ENERGY RECOVERY
in
CHEMICAL
INDUSTRIES
By: Dr Mahboubeh Toghyani
Fall 2024
Chapter 3:
Application of Energy
Recovery in Various
Industries
➢ Waste Heat Recovery from Flue Gas
Systems
• Reddy CC, Rangaiah GP. “Waste Heat Recovery: Principles and
Industrial Applications”, World Scientific, 2022.
Example 2
Estimate tube wall temperature in economizer for Cases A and
B, using the following conditions: BFW inlet temperature to
economizer = 284°F (140°C), and FG temperature at the outlet
of economizer = 707°F (375°C) for Case A and 347°F (175°C) for
Case B.
Assume tube inside (ℎ𝑏𝑓𝑤 ), outside (ℎ𝑓𝑔 ) and overall heat
transfer coefficients of 980 Btu/ft²hr°F, 13 Btu/ft²hr°F and
12.83 Btu/ft²hr°F, respectively
Problem Statement
✓ BFW inlet temperature: 284°F (140°C)
✓ FG outlet temperatures: Case A: 707°F (375°C)
Case B: 347°F (175°C)
✓ Heat transfer coefficients: Inside (ℎ𝑏𝑓𝑤 ): 980 Btu/ft²·hr·°F
Outside (ℎ𝑓𝑔 ): 13 Btu/ft²·hr·°F
✓ Overall: 12.83 Btu/ft²·hr·°F
4
Solution:
Key Observations:
• A 360°F (180°C) increase in FG outlet temperature raises the cold-end tube wall temperature by
only 4.7°F (2.6°C).
• So, maintaining BFW inlet temperature above the Acid Dew Point Temperature (ADPT) is essential
to prevent ADP corrosion.
5
Example 3
Estimate BFW (DM water) temperature at the outlet of a
non-contact type condensing economizer (CE) using the
following conditions. DM water flow rate, supply pressure
and temperature to CE are 120 ton/hr, 10 barg and 30°C,
respectively. FG pressure, inlet and outlet temperatures at
CE are 104.3 kPa, 350°C and 40°C, respectively. FG flow
rate is 142 ton/hr (𝐶𝑂2 : 19387.4 kg/hr, 𝐻2 𝑂 : 18756.1
kg/hr, 𝑁2 :101033.8 kg/hr and 𝑂2 : 2822.7 kg/hr).
Assume pressure drops of 1.5 kPa and 0.5 bar for FG and
DM water, respectively, in CE.
6
Example 3
DM Water:
̶ Flow rate: 120,000 kg/hr
̶ Inlet temperature: 30ᵒC
̶ Specific heat at 30ᵒC: 4.18 kJ/kgᵒC
Flue Gas (FG):
̶ Flow rate: 142,000 kg/hr
̶ Composition:
𝐶𝑂2 : 19,387.4kg/hr
𝐻2 𝑂 : 18,756.1 kg/hr
𝑁2 : 101,033.8 kg/hr
𝑂2 : 2,822.7 kg/hr
̶ Inlet temperature: 350ᵒC
̶ Outlet temperature: 40ᵒC
̶ FG pressure= 104.3 kPa
7
Solution:
• Mass flow rate of gases other than water vapor = 19,387.4 + 101,033.8 + 2822.7 = 123,243.9 kg/hr
• Pressure drop on CE’s shell side = 1.5 kPa
• Approach temperature at cold-end of CE = 40 − 30 = 10°C
• FG pressure at CE outlet (𝑃𝐶𝐸−𝑜𝑢𝑡 ) = 104.3 − 1.5 = 102.8 kPa
• From steam tables, vapor pressure of water vapor at FG outlet temperature (40°C), 𝑃𝑣𝐶𝐸−𝑜𝑢𝑡 = 7.361 kPa
• Moles of 𝐶𝑂2 in FG at CE inlet = 19387.4/44 = 440.62 mol
• Moles of 𝑁2 in FG at CE inlet =101033.8/ 28 = 3608.35 mol
• Moles of 𝑂2 in FG at CE inlet =2822.7/ 32 = 88.21 mol
• Moles of gases other than water vapor in FG at CE inlet = 440.62 +3608.35 + 88.21 = 4137.2 mol
440.62
• Average molecular weight of gases other than water vapor (𝑀𝑊𝑂𝐺 ) in FG at CE inlet =4137.2 × 44
3608.35 88.21
+ × 28+ × 32 = 29.79
4137.2 4137.2
8
Solution:
18756.1
• Mole fraction of water vapor in FG at CE inlet = 18
19387.4 18756.1 101033.8 2822.7 = 0.201
44
+ 18 + 28 + 32
• So mole percent of non-condensable components = (1 − 0.201) × 100 = 79.9%
• Partial pressure of water vapor in FG at CE inlet = Inlet pressure × Mole fraction = 104.322 kPa × 0.201 =
20.97 kPa
• Amount of water vapor leaving the CE is given by:
̶ MWs and MWOG =molecular weights of water vapor and average molecular weight of gases other than water vapor
(i.e., CO₂, N₂ and O₂).
̶ 𝑀𝑂𝐺 = the mass flow rate (kg/hr) of the gases other than water vapor.
̶ 𝑃𝐶𝐸−𝑜𝑢𝑡 and 𝑃𝑣𝐶𝐸−𝑜𝑢𝑡 are the pressure (kPa) of FG at CE outlet and vapor pressure (kPa) of water vapor at CE outlet.
9
Solution:
̶ Average heat capacity of water, between 61.2 °C and 40 °C= 4.18 kJ/kg°C
• Latent heat of water vapor at CE outlet pressure (102.8 kPa) = 2255.2 kJ/kg (from steam tables)
• Amount of water vapor condensed = 18,756.1 − 5743.52 = 13,014.5 kg/hr
• It is assumed that all 13,014.5 kg/hr of water vapor condenses at 61.2°C.
• From heat balance,
sensible heat gained by DM water =
sensible heat lost by FG + latent heat lost by condensed water vapor + sensible heat lost by condensed
water
10
Solution:
• Sensible heat lost by FG = Super heated Water +Other Gases Just Other Gases
=Heat lost by 142,000 kg/hr of FG from 350°C to 61.2°C + Heat lost by 128985.5 (= 142,000 − 13,014.5) kg/hr of FG from
61.2°C to 40°C
= (142,000 ×1.178 × (350 − 61.2)) + (128,985.5 ×1.1 ×(61.2 − 40)) = 48,309,308.8 + 3,007,941.86 = 51,317,250.7 kJ/hr
• Latent heat lost by the condensed water = 13,014.5 kg/hr × 2255.2 kJ/kg =29,350,300.4 kJ/hr
• Sensible heat lost by the condensed water = 13,0145 × 4.18 × (61.2 – 40) = 1,153,292.93 kJ/hr
• Total WH recovered to DM water = 51,317,250.7 + 29,350,300.4 + 1,153,292.93 = 81,820,844 kJ/hr
11
Solution:
✓ Since outlet temperature of DM water is not known, as a first trial, let us use heat capacity of DM
water at 30°C = 4.18 kJ/kg °C (from steam tables)
81820844
• Expected temperature rise of DM water =
120000×4.18
= 163.1 ᵒC
• Outlet temperature of DM water at the non-contact type CE = 163.1 + 30 = 193.1°C
30+193.1
✓ For 2nd trial, average temperature of DM water (=
2
= 111.6°C) can be used.
• Heat capacity of DM water at 111.6°C = 4.2327 kJ/kg °C (from steam tables)
81820844
• temperature rise of DM water =
120000×4.2327
= 161.09 ᵒC
• Outlet temperature of DM water at the non-contact type CE = 161.09 + 30 = 191.09°C
12
Solution:
30+191.09
✓ For 3rd trial, average temperature of DM water (=
2
= 110.545°C) can be used.
• Heat capacity of DM water at 110.545°C = 4.2312 kJ/kg °C (from steam tables)
81820844
• temperature rise of DM water =
120000×4.2312
= 161.145 ᵒC
• Since temperature raise of DM water from 2nd and 3rd trials is only 0.055°C, further trials are not
required.
• Hence, outlet temperature of DM water at the non-contact type CE = 161.1 + 30 = 191.1°C
13
Flue Gas Waste Heat Recovery in
Boilers with Air Preheater (APH)
• Purpose: Boilers produce utility steam for
process heating. APHs recover flue gas (FG) heat
to improve efficiency.
• Comparison: Economizers are preferred for
small to medium NG or oil-fired boilers due to
lower cost and NOx concerns. APHs increase
combustion air temperature, elevating flame
temperature and NOx levels, potentially
requiring NOx control systems.
14
Flue Gas Waste Heat Recovery in Boilers with Air Preheater (APH)
Efficiency:
• APHs increase boiler thermal efficiency (~1% per 20°C rise in combustion air temperature).
• For every 1°C increase in air temperature, FG temperature decreases by ~0.8°C.
APH with three passes
on combustion air side
and single pass on FG
side as well as cold
combustion air (CCA)
bypass for corrosion
prevention.
APH with two passes on APH with three passes on
FG side and single pass combustion air side and
on combustion air side single pass on FG side.
15
Flue Gas Waste Heat Recovery in
Boilers with Air Preheater (APH)
Applications:
• APHs increase boiler thermal efficiency (~1%
per 20°C rise in combustion air temperature).
• APHs are used when:
̶ Combusting low-value or solid fuels
(improved flame stability).
̶ In fired heaters, where economizers are
unsuitable.
16
Chapter 3:
Application of Energy
Recovery in Various
Industries
➢ Cooling System Options for Waste
Heat Reduction
• Reddy CC, Rangaiah GP. “Waste Heat Recovery: Principles and
Industrial Applications”, World Scientific, 2022.
Importance of Cooling Systems in
WHR
• Cooling systems are crucial for process industries
to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability.
• WHR methods like heat pumps, organic Rankine
cycles, and thermal desalination depend on
effective cooling systems.
• Economic feasibility of WHR projects often hinges
on the availability and cost of cooling systems.
18
Challenges in Cooling for WHR
• High capital costs of installing new cooling systems
may render projects economically infeasible.
• Retrofitting or debottlenecking existing systems is
often a cost-effective alternative.
• Factors influencing retrofitting:
̶ Space constraints
̶ Cost and payback period
̶ Reliability and operational flexibility
̶ Water availability (SW/FW) and government
regulations.
19
Types of Cooling Systems
Seawater (SW) Cooling:
• Used in coastal plants.
• Circulates SW to remove process heat and discharges it into the sea or air.
Freshwater (FW) Cooling:
• Utilizes sources like rivers, municipal water, or recycled water.
• Circulates FW to remove process heat and discharges it to air or SW.
Air Cooling:
• Uses finned tube bundles and fans to dissipate heat into the air.
• Does not require water.
Process Cooling:
• Exchanges waste heat directly with process streams for reuse.
• Reduces dependency on external cooling systems.
Hybrid Cooling:
• Combines two or more cooling techniques (e.g., CW + SW, air + CW).
• Balances resource availability and system performance.
20
Types of Cooling Systems
SW Cooling: FW Cooling: Air Cooling: Process Cooling: Hybrid Cooling:
Water-free and easy to
✓ High efficiency ✓ Uses cheaper materials ✓ retrofit, ✓ Best for waste heat reuse, ✓ Optimizes performance
Prone to corrosion and
Consumes scarce water Limited cooling efficiency and Requires nearby cold process Adds complexity and capital
fouling, requiring expensive resources, increasing costs. space-intensive. streams. costs.
materials.
21
Key Considerations
Selection Criteria:
• Cooling duty required
• Cost-effectiveness
• Environmental impact
• Local constraints and regulations
System Optimization:
• Evaluate debottlenecking and retrofitting options.
• Ensure sustainability and minimize operational costs.
22
Seawater (SW) Cooling
Systems
Significance:
• SW cooling can replace FW, reducing FW demand in
process industries.
• Commonly used in coastal plants for process heat
exchangers (HEs).
Challenges:
• Corrosion in HEs and piping
• Fouling due to barnacles, sand, and debris
• Microbiological growth in SW systems
23
Key Components of SW Cooling Systems
SW Intake Station:
• Includes stationary bar screens and traveling screens for
debris removal.
• Chlorine injection systems prevent barnacle growth.Stop
gates facilitate maintenance.
SW Filters:
• Automatic backflush system prevents sand and fine solids
from entering the system.
Material Considerations:
• Cement/epoxy/polymer-lined carbon steel (CS) piping is
used to prevent corrosion.Titanium plates and tubes in
heat exchangers (PHEs) minimize corrosion but are costly.
24
Types of SW Cooling Systems
Once-Through SW Cooling:
• Simplest design; SW is used once and
discharged back to the sea.
• Suitable for achieving process cooling
close to ambient temperature (1°C–2°C
approach).
• Corrosion issues require expensive
materials like titanium for sustained
operation.
25
Types of SW Cooling Systems
SW (Closed-Loop)–FW (Closed-Loop) Cooling:
• Features an SW cooling tower (CT) and circulation
pumps.
• SW usage is minimized as only evaporation, drift,
and blowdown are replenished.
• Waste heat is rejected to air via the cooling tower,
limiting SWR discharge to a small blowdown
stream.
• Suitable for areas where SW temperatures are
elevated due to multiple industries..
26
Types of SW Cooling Systems
SW-FW Cooling System:
• Combines closed-loop freshwater cooling (FW)
and open-loop SW cooling.
• Key Advantages:
̶ Reduces fouling in process heat exchangers by
using FW.
̶ Allows use of cheaper CS tubes in process HEs.
• Drawbacks:
̶ Requires additional equipment like CW pumps,
tanks, and PHEs.
̶ SWR temperature must remain below 43°C due
to scaling and environmental regulations.
27
SW Cooling Systems
Advantages of Hybrid Cooling Systems:
• SW-FW and SW closed-loop systems reduce direct
SW usage.
• Minimize fouling and maintenance costs in
process heat exchangers.
• Ensure compliance with environmental
regulations for SW discharge.
28
Freshwater Cooling Systems
FW cooling systems with cooling towers (CTs) are common for process cooling,
especially for equipment like pumps and compressors.
• Cooling Mechanism:
̶ Latent Heat Transfer: ~80% of cooling through water evaporation.
̶ Sensible Heat Transfer: Raises dry- and wet-bulb air temperatures.
• Cooling Water Supply (CWS):
̶ Pumped to Heat Exchangers as CWS and returns to CT as CWR.
• Heat Exchange Process:
̶ CWR sprayed through distribution headers at CT top.
̶ Water flows over CT fill (wood/plastic), enhancing heat transfer.
̶ CWS temperature designed to be 2.8–5.5°C above wet-bulb air temperature.
29
Freshwater Cooling Systems
System Design and Losses:
Water Losses:
• Evaporation: ~1% of total mass for every 5.5°C cooling.
• Drift Loss: ~0.1–0.3% of circulation rate.
• Blowdown (BD): Removes solids to maintain water
quality.
Optimization Considerations
Trade-Offs:
• Reducing CW flow lowers driving force, increasing HE
size and capital cost.
Advanced Methods:
• CW network optimization using MILP/MINLP models.
30
Air-cooled heat exchangers (ACHEs)
Advantages:
• Independent of water supply and avoids costs/issues
associated with CTs (e.g., blowdown losses, water
treatment, plume, and fouling concerns).
• Lower operating and maintenance costs compared to
WCHEs.
• Offers partial cooling (20-30% of rated duty) during
power failure through natural air circulation.
• Suitable for high-temperature fluids, avoiding fouling
concerns typical of WCHEs.
31
32
Air-cooled heat exchangers (ACHEs)
Challenges of ACHEs:
• Larger size due to air’s lower heat transfer coefficient.
• Higher capital cost compared to WCHEs.
• Cooling effectiveness limited to ~15°C above ambient air temperature, unlike WCHEs,
which can cool closer to process needs.
• Seasonal performance variability and control challenges, especially for viscous fluids.
Key Components:
• Tube Bundles: Finned tubes are used to improve air-side heat transfer; materials like
aluminum and CS are common.
• Fans: Forced and induced draft configurations with axial-flow designs.
• Supporting Structures: Elevated designs to allow airflow with features for operational
access.
33
Air-cooled heat exchangers
Performance Factors:
• Efficiency depends on uniform air distribution, fan coverage,
and maintaining low recirculation of hot air.
• Fan speed impacts flow, static pressure, and power
consumption, governed by affinity laws.
Optimization and Design:
• Cooling effectiveness and power consumption balance require
detailed analysis (LMTD, heat transfer coefficients, etc.).
• ACHE configurations (e.g., horizontal, vertical, V, or A-shaped
arrangements) depend on layout and design requirements.
• Existing ACHEs can often be revamped or debottlenecked
before new installations.
34
35
Hybrid Cooling Systems
Hybrid cooling systems combine air-cooled heat exchangers,
freshwater cooled heat exchangers, and/or seawater cooled
heat exchangers to achieve optimal cooling performance.
❖ Main Advantages:
• Cost-effective expansion: Useful in revamping existing
systems to provide additional cooling without building new
infrastructure like cooling towers (CTs).
• Plot space savings: May avoid the need for additional space
in facilities with tight layouts.
• Resource conservation: Reduce freshwater and/or seawater
usage.
• Reliability: Increase cooling system robustness by leveraging
multiple cooling methods.
36
Hybrid Cooling Systems
• Operation and Application:
• Optimizing Cooling in Series: Hybrid systems efficiently divide
the cooling load between ACHEs and WCHEs in series, reducing
the demand for cooling water.Temperature Matching: ACHEs
handle the higher temperature range where CW is less
efficient, while WCHEs are reserved for lower temperature
ranges close to the target.Approach Temperature: ACHEs can
reliably cool to about 20°C above ambient temperature, leaving
CW or SW for the final temperature adjustments.
37
Example 2
Currently, one CT serves two HEs in a chemical plant. CWR
temperature = 42°C, CWS temperature = 30°C, CW flow rate = 650
ton/hr, and data on HE-1 and HE-2 are in the following table.
A WHR project requires condensing 9.2 ton/hr of steam at a
vacuum pressure of 0.1235 bar. Identify a hybrid cooling solution.
Assume the site has sufficient pipe rack space for installing an
ACHE.
38
39
Solution
109600×2× 150−35
• 𝐼𝑛 𝐻𝐸 − 1, ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 = = 7002.2 𝑘𝑊
3600
500000×4.2× 42−30
• ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝐶𝑊 = = 7002.2 𝑘𝑊
3600
✓ energy balance is satisfied!
83000×1.012× 125−35
• 𝐼𝑛 𝐻𝐸 − 2, ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 = = 2099.9 𝑘𝑊
3600
150000×4.2× 42−30
• ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝐶𝑊 = = 2099.9𝑘𝑊
3600
✓ energy balance is satisfied!
• Mass flow rate of steam to be condensed = 9200 kg/hr.
• From steam tables, latent heat and saturation temperature of steam at 0.1235 bar are
2381.974 kJ/kg and 50°C, respectively.
40
Solution
✓ With CWS and CWR temperatures of 30°C and 42°C, respectively:
9200×2381.974 𝑘𝑔
• amount of CW required for condensing the steam = = 434805
4.2×(42−30) ℎ𝑟
• HE-1 is consuming 500,000 kg/hr of CW for cooling the process stream from 150°C to 35°C.
Hence, ACHE can be used to cool this process stream from 150°C to 50°C (assuming
atmospheric temperature of 30°C) before cooling this process stream further to 35°C using CW.
in HE-1.
109600×2×(150−50)
• Heat that can be removed by ACHE = = 6088.9 𝑘𝑊
3600
• Remaining heat from 50°C to 35°C from the process stream can be removed using CW.
109600×2×(50−35) 𝑘𝑔
• 𝐴𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑊 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 = = 65238
4.2×(42−30) ℎ𝑟
• At HE-1, there is a CW saving of 434,762 (= 500000 − 65238) kg/hr.
• This amount of CW is sufficient for use in the new WHR (i.e., for condensing 9200 kg/hr of
steam at 0.1235 bar).
41
• Due to the large reduction (87%) of CW in HE-
1, velocity of CW in HE-1 tubes reduces
substantially. So, HE-1 may need to be modified
such as increasing the number of passes or
plugging some tubes. Otherwise, excessive
fouling occurs due to very low velocity of CW.
• There will be capital cost for ACHE, which
should be considered in the profitability
analysis of WHR project
42
• More complex hybrid CW systems are possible.
If CT duty is maximized and ACHE addition
option is fully utilized, SW pumping system and
distribution network are readily available,
additional cooling capability for CWR can be
provided by exchanging hot CWR with fresh
• SW or used SW, both using titanium PHEs.
43
THANK YOU
44
