| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 173880 | Computers & Chemical Engineering | 2007 | 9 Pages |
This paper presents a general mathematical optimization model and the related deterministic algorithm for synthesizing heat-exchanger networks (HEN). The methodologies commonly used to solve a HEN problem are based on heuristic methods. These algorithms reach a presumed best solution with respect to the investigated set of process streams, whereas our approach determines the optimal configuration.In this paper the proposed method is applied to the solution of a few simple HEN synthesis problems and the results are compared with those obtained utilizing heuristic or meta-heuristic methods.HEN's problem is represented by a general mathematical model that can be applied to small and medium sized problems and is solved by using a deterministic method with a reasonably brief computation time.Notably, this approach can represent a unique general model of a wide class of heat-exchanger networks, independently of their specific physical configuration.
