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Raising a new Generation of Leaders

CHE 526 – PINCH

TECHNOLOGY

Dr F. B. Elehinafe
 THE HEAT RECOVERY PINCH
• T-H CURVES
The hot and cold streams in a process can be
represented on a temperature-enthalpy graph
once their supply and target temperatures and
their heat capacity flowrates are known.
This is illustrated in the Fig 2.1 below for hot
streams.

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• One of the advantages of T-H diagrams is that a
stream can be shifted within the same
temperature interval while maintaining the
same ΔH value. (Fig 2.2a)
• This operation does not alter the properties of
the stream. But streams of different ΔH values
represent different streams (Fig 2.2b)

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 A Single Heat Exchanger With Streams of
Constant Heat Capacity
• Fig 2.3 shows two streams in a heat exchanger
plotted in the T-H diagram. The hot stream is
further cooled down to required temperature
by external cold utility (cooling water) and cold
stream is further heated up to required
temperature by external hot utility.

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• The hot stream is represented by the line with
arrowhead pointing downward and the cold
stream is represented by the line with arrow
head pointing upwards.
• For feasible heat exchange between the two,
the hot stream must at all points be hotter than
the cold stream.

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• In Fig 2.4, the cold stream is shown shifted on
the H-axis relative to the hot stream so that the
minimum temperature difference, ΔTmin, is no
longer 10ᵒC but 20ᵒC. The effect of this shift is
to increase the utility heating and cooling by
equal amount.
• Clearly , further shifting implies larger ΔTmin
values and larger utility consumption.

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• From this analyses two basic facts emerged
1. There is a correlation between ΔTmin and QH,min
and Qc,min.
2. If the hot utility load is increased by a amount
x, the cold utility is increased by x as well, that
is, more in more out.

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 Composite Curves
• Heat exchange between many hot and many
cold streams can be analyzed similarly.
• A single composite of all hot and a single
composite of all cold streams can be produced
in the T-H diagram, and handled in just the
same way as the two stream problem.

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• In Fig 2.5(a) three hot streams with heat
capacities A, B and C are plotted separately.
• The three streams are cooled through the
temperature levels indicated. The calculation of
H for each interval is shown in the figure and
the result is re-plotted against T intervals.

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• In Fig 2.5 (b), the resulting T-H plot is a single
curve representing all the hot streams.
• A similar procedure gives a composite of all
cold streams in a problem.

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• Fig 2.6 shows a typical pair of composite hot
and cold. The overlap between the composite
curves represents the maximum amount of heat
recovery possible within the process.
• The “overshoot” of the cold composite
represents the minimum amount of external
heating required and “overshoot” of the hot
composite represents the minimum amount of
external cooling required.

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• Although there are many streams in the
problem, in general ΔTmin occurs at only one
point termed “the pinch”.
• The pinch is the point at which the composite
hot and cold approach most closely. Shifting of
the curves leads to changes in values of ΔTmin,
QH,min and Qc,min.

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• The “kinked” nature of the composites means
that ΔTmin can occur anywhere in the
interchange region and not just at one end. This
means that it is possible to design a network
which uses the minimum utility requirements
where the heat exchangers at the pinch are
operating at ΔTmin .

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• In Fig 2.7 (a) the system is shown separated at
the pinch. In the section above the pinch, the
hot composite gives all its heat to the cold
composite with only residual heating required.
• The system is therefore a heat sink. Heat goes
in from the hot utility but no heat goes out.
• Conversely, below the pinch, the system is a
heat source.

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• Heat goes out to the cold utility but no heat
goes in. Hence, in a design that achieves the
utility targets, the heat flow across the pinch is
zero.

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• Fig 2.7 (b) shows the case where the minimum
utility targets are not met. External heating is in
excess by α of the minimum possible.
• By heat balance around the heat source and
heat sink, there must then be a heat flow α
across the pinch and an excess external
cooling requirement α.

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• Conclusion: the insight we have gained so far
gives us the following concepts which are as
effective as they are simple
Targets
• Once the composite curves are known, we
know exactly how much external heating and
cooling are required.

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 The Pinch
• Don’t cool above the pinch and don’t heat below
the pinch. This tells us where to place furnaces,
steam heaters, coolers etc. it also tells us what site
stream services should be used and how we should
recover heat from the exhaust of steam and gas
turbines.
More in, more out
• Don’t transfer heat across the pinch. An inefficient
process requires more than the minimum external
heating and therefore more than the minimum
external cooling.

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