Anna Sophia Wallerand

General Superstructure Synthesis and Bi-level Solution Strategy for Industrial Heat Pumping

Industrial waste heat is abundant and represents significant energy inefficiency for many processes. With increasing emphasis on improving industrial energy efficiency, heat pump systems (including refrigeration) offer a solution by valorizing low-temperature waste heat. Optimization of industrial heat pump systems attempts to reach the cost-optimal configuration of equipment (compressors, evaporators, etc.), the sizes, operating conditions (pressures levels, temperatures), and working fluids which can be expressed as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. This work presents a general MINLP heat pump superstructure which incorporates enhanced features such as fluid after-cooling (after compression) and inter-cooling (during multi-stage expansion) while considering pressure levels and fluid selection. The MINLP is solved using a bi-level mathematical approach to explore a large solution space. The superstructure was applied to a set of MILP literature cases and it is shown that the MILP sub-problem performs well; furthermore, the full MINLP superstructure achieves up to 10% improvement compared to the literature optimal scenario with respect to the total annualized cost.

Thermo-Economic Analysis of a Trigeneration HCPVT Power Plant

The increasing need for electricity and heat in a growing global economy must be combined with CO2 emissions reduction, in order to limit the human influence on the environment. This calls for energy-efficient and cost- competitive renewable energy systems that are able to satisfy both pressing needs. A High-Concentration Photovoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system is a cogeneration concept that shows promising potential in delivering electricity and heat in an efficient and cost-competitive manner. This study investigates the transient behavior of the HCPVT system and presents a thermo-economic analysis of a MW-scale trigeneration (electricity, heating and cooling) power plant. Transient simulations show a fast dynamic response of the system which results in short heat-up intervals, maximizing heat recuperation throughout the day. Despite suboptimal coupling between demand and supply, partial heat utilization throughout the year and low COP of commercially available devices for the conversion of heat into cooling, the thermo- economic analysis shows promising economic behavior, with a levelized cost of electricity close to current retail prices.

A Hybrid Methodology for Combined Interplant Heat, Water, and Power Integration

Abstract The growing desire to improve resource efficiency and environmental impact of industrial processes is directly linked to optimal management of heat, mass and power flows. The concept of industrial symbiosis tackles this issue by proposing interplant heat recovery and resource transfer which can bring economical and environmental benefits to each party. A comprehensive methodology is required which can easily be incorporated in the planning of industrial clusters. Therefore, a generic hybrid mixed integer linear programming superstructure has been developed to address simultaneous heat, water, and power optimization in interplant operations. Additional concepts are included in the previously-proposed water network superstructure (Kermani et al., 2017) to account for the issues related to interplant heat and mass exchange. A cold utility superstructure is included in the water network while a steam network superstructure is modified to better represent the feedwater heaters and heat recovery opportunities. The proposed methodology is applied to an industrial case study. Results exhibit a large potential for synergies among industrial sites, even in disparate sectors, and emphasize the importance of a generic approach.

Techno-Economic and Environmental Optimization of Palm-based Biorefineries in the Brazilian Context, 27th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering

Abstract Due to the global increase in energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and the depletion of fossil energy resources, the research presented here is focused on finding economically and environmentally competitive renewable energy resources. Fuel production from biomass is an attractive solution in this regard. Competing interests between food and energy have yielded increased interest in lignocellulosic biomass (LGB) as a feedstock. Processes such as biodiesel production from palm oil generate large volumes of LGB residues. Valorization of these residues through biorefineries may bring economic and environmental benefits through substitution of fossil fuels and such options must be studied in a systematic manner. The goal of this research is to propose a methodology for economic and environmental analysis of such biorefineries. A case study of a palm-based biorefinery in Brazil is used to illustrate this. Results indicate that multi-product processes can yield significant cost and environmental benefits.