A systematic process integration framework for the optimal design and techno-economic performance analysis of energy supply and CO2 mitigation strategies

Most industries consume a large amount of energy to produce goods and to reduce the resultant CO2 emissions. We develop a systematic process integration framework for the optimal design and techno-economic performance analysis of energy supply and CO2 mitigation strategies. We first generate an Integrated Energy Supply and CO2 Mitigation Network (IESCMN), which includes three processes, each of which consists of a large number of technologies. This model allows identification of energy requirements (sinks) and unused energy sources of the technologies. Developing an optimization model for the IESCMN allows identification of a promising strategy to minimize energy cost, because sources and sinks can be connected to each other to transfer unused energy. Our techno-economic analysis results show that the IESCMN results in a considerable decrease in energy cost, compared to the individual operation of each technology. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.