Course detail

System Approaches for Process and Power Industry

FSI-KS3 Acad. year: 2027/2028 Summer semester

The course presents procedures, techniques and activities whose aim is to ensure, in a systematic way, the best possible solution of a process or power production line, its subsystem or individual equipment, both for a new design and for the retrofit of an existing installation for new purposes. The core of the course is the integrated solution of a process by Pinch Analysis: data extraction from the flowsheet, determination of the energy concept of the process (targeting, supertargeting, utility selection), heat integration of processes within a production site (Total Site Analysis), synthesis of a heat exchanger network for a new design (grassroot design) and its modification in a retrofit (retrofit design), including heat exchanger intensification. Further topics are the selection, technical concept and preliminary sizing of the most demanding hot utilities, the design of multifunctional integrated process equipment, the integration of energy from local renewable sources and the optimal design of piping and insulation. Exercises take place in a computer laboratory and deal with industrial and model problems.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

6

Supervisor

prof. Ing. Zdeněk Jegla, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Process Engineering

Entry knowledge

The student must be able to:

  • set up the mass and energy balance of a process and calculate the heat duty of a process stream,
  • calculate the heat transfer area of a heat exchanger (log-mean temperature difference, overall heat transfer coefficient) and describe the construction of tubular and plate heat exchangers,
  • calculate the pressure drop of piping and the heat loss of insulated piping,
  • calculate fuel combustion and set up the heat balance of a furnace or boiler,
  • estimate capital and operating costs of equipment and calculate the simple payback period of an investment.

These skills are acquired mainly in Heat Transfer Processes, Hydraulic Processes, Energy and Emissions and Design of Process and Power Systems.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

The course is completed by an examination (ECTS grading scale). Course-unit credit from the exercises is part of the assessment. The course-unit credit is a prerequisite for taking the examination.

Lectures: attendance is optional (recommended).

Exercises: attendance is compulsory and checked by the instructor at every class. Two absences are allowed without making up. Every further absence must be duly justified and the student solves the tasks that were missed. A missed credit test is written at a substitute date.

Course-unit credit requirements:

  1. regular and active attendance at the exercises,
  2. passing two credit tests in the 6th and 13th week. The 1st test verifies the calculation of an assigned problem from learning outcomes 2 and 3, the 2nd test from learning outcomes 4 to 6. Each test is marked with a maximum of 20 points and is passed with at least 10 points. A failed test may be retaken once, at the latest by the end of the examination period.

The examination has two parts:

  1. Written part: verifies theoretical knowledge from the lectures (in particular learning outcome 1 and the theoretical background of outcomes 2 to 6), maximum 30 points.
  2. Oral part: two theoretical questions from the lectures, maximum 2 × 10 points.

At least 50 % of the points must be obtained in each part of the examination. Final classification: the sum of points from both parts of the examination, maximum 50 points. A: 45–50, B: 40–44, C: 35–39, D: 30–34, E: 25–29, F: 0–24.

Aims

Upon completion of the course, the student is able to:

  1. explain the phases of the integrated solution of a process, the principles of Pinch Analysis and Total Site Analysis, the types of optimization problems (LP/MILP, NLP/MINLP) and the options for integrating energy from local renewable sources into the process,
  2. extract data from a flowsheet, carry out process targeting (energy, capital and total targeting), determine the optimal minimum temperature approach (supertargeting), select the set of external utilities (utility selection) and determine the potential of mutual heat integration of processes for a model production site,
  3. design a heat exchanger network for a new process (grassroot design) and optimal modifications of an existing heat exchanger network in a process retrofit (retrofit design),
  4. quantify the intensification effect of technical elements and design the intensification retrofit of a heat exchanger with the most suitable element,
  5. select the techno-economically most suitable hot utility solution for a given process, determine its technical concept and carry out the preliminary sizing of its main parts,
  6. design the main part of multifunctional integrated process equipment and the optimal pipe diameter and insulation thickness for given operating conditions.

Study aids

Lecture presentations, assignments and materials for the exercises are provided by the instructor continuously during the semester in an agreed repository accessible to enrolled students (Moodle, a shared drive or MS Teams can be agreed).

The study programmes with the given course

Programme N-PRI-P: Process Engineering, Master's, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hours, optionally

Syllabus


  1. Introduction to systematic approaches to the integrated solution of a process by Pinch Analysis, the parts and phases of the integrated solution and the most common types of optimization problems and solution methods (LP/MILP, NLP/MINLP). Techniques for the initial part of the solution (optimization of the conditions of the key equipment and creation of the initial flowsheet of the key equipment and the related process streams).

  2. Principles of data extraction from the flowsheet for the integrated solution of a process by Pinch Analysis. Processing of the data into the initial form needed to solve the energy concept of the process (targeting).

  3. Techno-economic assessment of the optimal energy concept of the designed process, i.e. the optimal level of process heat exchange and external utilities (supertargeting), and selection of the optimal set of external energy sources of the process (utility selection).

  4. A specific systematic approach to identifying the optimal level of mutual heat integration of operated processes within a production site (Total Site Analysis).

  5. Methods of optimal synthesis of a heat exchanger network for process heat exchange in a new process design (grassroot design).

  6. Methods of optimal modification of an existing heat exchanger network for process heat exchange in an integrated process retrofit (retrofit design).

  7. Introduction to the intensification retrofit of a heat exchanger network and technical elements used in intensification retrofits.

  8. Systematic approaches to the intensification retrofit of a heat exchanger network by optimal use of the most suitable technical elements.

  9. Techniques for the initial techno-economic assessment of competing variants of the most demanding hot utilities and selection of the most suitable hot utility solution of the process.

  10. Methods for determining the optimal technical arrangement (technical concept) of the selected most suitable hot utility solution of the process.

  11. Methods for the preliminary optimal sizing of the main parts of the technical concept of the selected most suitable hot utility solution of the process.

  12. Techniques for the optimal design and retrofit of multifunctional integrated process equipment.

  13. Systematic approaches to completing the process design (integration of energy from available local renewable sources into the process, optimal design of piping and insulation).

Computer-assisted exercise

26 hours, compulsory

Syllabus


  1. Calculation of selected examples of optimizing the conditions of the key equipment and creation of the initial flowsheet of the key equipment and the related process streams.

  2. Solution of a selected industrial example of process targeting (energy targeting, capital targeting and total targeting).

  3. Practical application of supertargeting and utility selection in the initial phase of the systematic design of a new process.

  4. Basic application of Total Site Analysis to a given model case of a production site.

  5. Application of the method for determining the optimal heat exchanger network for a selected new process design (grassroot design).

  6. Application of the method for determining optimal modifications of an existing heat exchanger network for a selected integrated process retrofit (retrofit design). 1st credit test.

  7. Application of calculation methods for determining the intensification effects of selected technical elements used in intensification retrofits.

  8. Practical application of a systematic approach to the intensification retrofit of a specific heat exchanger with the optimal design of the most suitable technical intensification element.

  9. Application of a selected numerical technique for selecting the most suitable hot utility solution for a given process.

  10. Application of selected calculation methods for determining the optimal technical concept of the selected most suitable hot utility solution for a given process (follows exercise 9).

  11. Application of methods for the preliminary optimal sizing of the main parts of the technical concept of the selected most suitable hot utility solution for a given process (follows exercise 10).

  12. Application of a selected technique for the optimal design of the main part of multifunctional integrated process equipment.

  13. Application of the method for the optimal design of piping and its insulation for given process conditions. 2nd credit test. Course-unit credit.