03-09-2012, 02:16 PM
Energy recovery with compact heat exchangers
Energy recovery.pdf (Size: 973.6 KB / Downloads: 149)
The refinery business is under
constant pressure to increase
efficiency. A highly competitive
market combined with rising
energy and feedstock costs require
refineries to ramp up production
while cutting operating costs.
Switching from shell-and-tube to
welded plate heat exchangers (also
known as compact heat exchangers)
is a proven and straightforward
way of solving the problem. The
use of compact heat exchangers
offers benefits in four areas:
• Energy savings
• Less maintenance
• Increased production
• Lower installation costs.
Energy savings
Up to 50% of a refinery’s operating
budget is tied up in energy costs,
making energy efficiency a top
priority. Energetics Incorporated
estimates that the petroleum refining
industry in the US could cut
energy use by as much as 54% by
incorporating best practices and
new technology.3
Recovering and reusing energy is
a profitable and easy way to cut
energy costs. All refineries do this
to some extent, but most still use
outdated shell-and-tube heat
exchangers with low thermal efficiency.
Investing in more efficient
heat exchangers is profitable for
energy-intensive plants such as
refineries. Payback periods are often
less than six months.
Increased production
Many refineries have bottlenecks
related to heating or cooling. It is
often impossible or very costly to
increase heating or cooling capacity,
meaning they are left
unresolved.
Investing in more efficient heat
exchangers is often the best way to
overcome these limitations. The
higher the efficiency of the heat
exchanger, the more heat can flow
through it. This means the process
fluid is heated or cooled with the
extra degrees needed to resolve the
bottleneck, simply by raising heat
exchanger efficiency. The result is
higher production capacity at a low
investment cost.