Optimizing Low-Temperature Heat Recovery in a Refinery Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit Based on Pinch Analysis

In this paper, the research was focused on optimizing low-temperature heat recovery to adopt multi-effect distil- lation （MED） in desalination by pinch technology. And further analysis indicated that phase changes occurred during the heat recovery process. In such case, the feed stream was divided into two streams： the liquid feed stream and the gaseous feed stream. Through calculation, the optimal ATmin was established at 26℃, and the total cost of heat exchange process was only $1.098× 106. By using the Problem Table Algorithm for pinch analysis, the temperature of the hot and the cold steams was 119℃ and 93 ℃, respectively. At a temperature higher than 119 ℃, all heat of the hot stream could not be cooled by the condenser, and the minimum heat load of utility （QH.min） was 440457.64 kW; and at a temperature below 93 ℃, all heat of the cold stream could not be provided by the heater, and the minimum cold load of utility （QC.min） was 1965993.85 kW. Finally, the synthesis of heat exchanger network was established through integrating two heat exchanger networks.

Feasibility Demonstrations of Liquid Turbine Power Generator Driven by Low Temperature Heats

Lower temperature waste heats less than 373 K have strong potentials to supply additional energies because of their enormous quantities and ubiquity. Accordingly, reinforcement of power generations harvesting low temperature heats is one of the urgent tasks for the current generation in order to accomplish energy sustainability in the coming decades. In this study, a liquid turbine power generator driven by lower temperature heats below 373 K was proposed in the aim of expanding selectable options for harvesting low temperature waste heats less than 373 K. The proposing system was so simply that it was mainly composed of a liquid turbine, a liquid container with a biphasic medium of water and an underlying water-insoluble low-boiling-point medium in a liquid phase, a heating section for vaporization of the liquid and a cooling section for entropy discharge outside the system. Assumed power generating steps via the proposing liquid turbine power generator were as follows: step 1: the underlying low-boiling-point medium in a liquid phase was vaporized, step 2: the surfacing vapor bubbles of low-boiling-point medium accompanied the biphasic medium in their wakes, step 3: such high momentum flux by step 2 rotated the liquid turbine (i.e. power generation), step 4: the surfacing low-boiling-point medium vapor was gradually condensed into droplets, step 5: the low-boiling-point medium droplets were submerged to the underlying medium in a liquid phase. Experiments with a prototype liquid turbine power generator proved power generations in accordance with the assumed steps at a little higher than ordinary temperature. Increasing output voltage could be obtained with an increase in the cooling temperature among tested ranging from 294 to 296 K in contrast to normal thermal engines. Further improvements of the direct current voltage from the proposing liquid turbine power generator can be expected by means of far more vigorous multiphase flow induced by adding solid powders and theoretical optimizations of heat and mass transfers.