Optimal Safe Layouts with Heat Exchanger Networks Synthesis Having Isothermal Process Streams

This paper proposes a new MINLP model for heat exchanger network synthesis considering streams with phase change and their geographical allocation based on safety. For heat exchanging, the model includes streams with latent heat, streams with sensible heat, and streams with both latent and sensible heat. Streams may be generated in either an already installed facility or in a new facility for siting, and their point of generation inside the facility is given. For safety, the model considers the possibility of having toxic releases in either installed or for siting facilities. Hence the facilities layout becomes a part of the HEN synthesis optimization problem. A grid layout is adopted to allocate facilities in the available land and a new strategy is developed to solve the non-overlapping facilities constraint. This strategy also reduces the numerical difficulties appearing when Euclidian distances are required when calculating safety affectations.