King Saud University

College of Engineering
Chemical Engineering Department

Process integration CHE-443

Applying heat integration on the project of production of Ethyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether (ETBE)

By:

Abdullah Karama Al-Hamidi (432106925)

Supervised by:
Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Mutlaq

2nd semester
1437- 1438 H (2016-2017 G)
Table of contents

Heat integration.

production of ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE)

Heat integration using the algebraic cascade diagram

Flow sheet after heat integration

Conclusion

References

1
Heat Integration

Introduction
The basic idea for heat integration is that there are process streams and utilities that need to be
heated and other process streams and units that need to be cooled. Before using external utilities
to provide the necessary heating and cooling, heat integration transfers the heat from the process
hot streams and units. The remaining heating and cooling tasks are then fulfilled using the external
heating and cooling utilities. [1]

Rules has to be taken into consideration

 No heat should be passed through the pinch.

 No cooling utilities should be used above the pinch.
 No heating utilities should be used below the pinch.

Objective
The excessive usage of external heating utilities incurs a substantial economic burden in the form
of operating costs, depletes unsustainable energy resources (for example, fossil fuels), and
generates large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this case is to use heat
integration via the pinch diagram to reduce the operating cost of the plant. [1]

Production of Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE)

Ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) is an oxygenated gasoline fuel component and ether. The better
known oxygenates used today are methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and ETBE. Oxygenates are
used as octane boosters to replace toxic and carcinogenic compounds such as lead, they have a
positive effect on air quality and thus have a direct positive impact on human health and
environment [3].

2
Flow sheet

3
ETBE flow sheet

Fig 1: ETBE Ethermax Process plant [2]

1
Process description

Ethermax process includes reaction of isobutylene with ethanol in a straight pass reactor for the ETBE
production. The reaction mixture, containing isobutylene and ethanol together with ETBE and inserts,
is transferred to a catalytic distillation column reactor to complete the reaction. This novel type of
equipment combines chemical reactor with separation unit. Simultaneous chemical (catalyzed)
reaction and product removal allows obtaining higher conversion of feed components by shifting the
equilibrium towards desired products. Reactor involves heterogeneous catalyst placed in a fixed bed
[2]
Equipment's details [3]
Reactor (R-101)
The reactor is operated isothermally and the reaction is exothermic. The generated heat by the
reaction is removed by a heat exchanger. The reaction must be run at a certain pressure and
temperature to ensure that the mixture remain in liquid phase inside the reactor. Ethanol must be
presented in the reactor feed at a minimum 3% excess to suppress undesired side reactions. It is
assumed that this equipment works isobariclly.
Heat exchanger (E-102)
The main duty of E-102 is to increase the temperature of the first reactor effluent to 70 °C, and it
has been assumed that this equipment works isobariclly.
Reactive distillation (RD-101)
The effluent of R-101 enters the E-102 and then RD-101 to increase the overall conversion of
isobutylene from 87.9% to the 99.2%.
Heat exchanger (E-105)
The main duty of E-105 is to decrease the temperature of the RD-101 effluent going to T-101 to a
temperature of 30 °C. It is assume that this equipment works isobariclly.
Absorber (T-102)
The absorber is operated at 1 atm and 30°C. It is assumed that 99% of ethanol is absorber by water.
Also, it is assumed that this equipment works isothermally and isobariclly. [17]
Heat exchanger (E-106)
The main duty of E-106 is to increase the temperature of the T-101 effluent going to T-102 to 79
Heat exchanger (E-109)
 The main duty of E-109 is to decrease the temperature of bottom effluent of the RD-101 to a
temperature of 30 °C.
Distillation column (T-102)
This column operated at 1 atm and 79 °C. It separates ethanol from water in the downstream of
the process. Ethanol recycled back to P-101.

Heat Integration Using the Algebraic Cascade Diagram

It is desirable to use an algebraic approach. For problems that include numerous streams with
much overlapping that can render the construction of the composite curves cumbersome. Also in
the case with temperature ranges that are vastly different to the extent that they may skew the
representation of certain streams
The exchangeable load of the uth hot stream (losing sensible heat) that passes through the zth
interval is defined as:
HH u,z = Fu C p,u ( Tz-1 –Tz )
The exchangeable capacity of the vth cold stream (gaining sensible heat) that passes through the
zth interval is computed through:
HC u,z = fu c p,u ( tz-1 –tz ) [1].

Table 1: Supply, Target Temperatures and F*Cp for Integratable Streams:

Equipment Stream Supply Temperature Target Temperature F*Cp Enthalpy
(C0) (C0) Change
( kW/K)
kW
E-101 C1 30 43.5 135 1822.5

E-102 C2 43.5 70 93 2464.5

E-106 C3 30 79 4 196

E-105 H1 53 30 192 -4416

E-107 H2 151 30 16 -1936

Table 2: Temperature Interval Diagram of ETBE Case Study

1
 Interval Hot Stream T (Co) Cold Stream t (Co)
. .

H2 151 141

1
89 79

80 70

3
f*Cp =16

53.5 43.5 f*Cp = 93 f*Cp = 4

4 C2
43 f*Cp = 135
H1 53

5
f*Cp = 192 40 30

6 C1 C3
30
20

Table 3: TEHL for Integratable Hot and Cold Streams.

Interval Hot Streams kw Cold streams kw
H1 H2 ∑H C1 C2 C3 ∑C
1 0 992 992 0 0 0 0
2 0 144 144 0 0 36 36
3 0 424 424 0 2464.5 106 2570.5
4 0 8 8 67.5 0 2 69.5
5 2496 208 2704 1755 0 52 1807
6 1920 160 2080 0 0 0 0
Cascade Diagram:

2
 992 0
1

992
144 36
2

1100
424 2 2570.5
3

-1046.5
8 69.5
4

-1108
2704 1807
5

-211
2080 6 0

1869
Figure 2: Cascade diagram. Note: all utilities in kW.

3
Revised Cascade Diagram:
1108 kW= QHmin

992 0
1

2100
144 36
2

2208
424 2 2570.5
3

61.5
8 69.5
4

0 pinch location
2704 1807
5

897

2080 6 0

2977 kW = QCmin
Figure 3: Revised cascade diagram. Note: all utilities in kW.

Temperature at the pinch

T = 53 Co t = 43 Co

4
Steam matching and the synthesis of heat-exchange networks
The target for the minimum number of heat exchanger satisfying the MOC is given by:
UMOC = UMOC, above pinch + UMOC, below pinch
UMOC, above pinch = NH, above pinch +NC, above pinch –Ni, above pinch
UMOC, below pinch = NH, below pinch +NC, below pinch –Ni, below pinch [1].
UMOC, above pinch = 1+3-0 = 4
UMOC, below pinch = 2+2-0 = 4
The number of the minimum operating cost units (UMOC) = 8 units
Above the pinch 4HE

70 ℃
43.5 ℃
HU 79 ℃
151℃
67.5

1108 896.5 144

H2
60 ℃
1568 1568

C2 C1 C3
43.5 ℃
53 ℃ 43 ℃ 43 ℃ 43 ℃

Figure 4: Stream matching above the pinch. Note: HU is heating utility and all utilities in kW.

5
Below the pinch 4HE

53 CO 53 CO 43 CO 43 CO

H1 H2

52 52
C3
1755 49.5 ℃ 1755 30 ℃
43.86 ℃ C1
316 30 ℃
2661 2977

30 ℃ ℃

30 ℃ CU

Figure 3: Stream matching below the pinch. Note: CU is cooling utility and all utilities in kW.

Screening Of Multiple Utilities Using the Grand Composite Curve (GCC)

To minimize the cost of utilities, it may be necessary to stage the use of utilities such that at each
level the use of the cheapest utility ($/kJ) is maximized while ensuring its feasibility. A convenient
way of screening multiple utilities is the grand composite curve (GCC) [1].

Table 4 shows x-axis and y-axis for GCC

Enthalpy kW 𝒕+𝑻
℃
𝟐
1108 146
2100 84
2208 75
61.5 48.5
0 48
897 35
2977 25

All information will be shown in the following graph

6
 GCC
160

140

120

100 62 ℃
(t+T)/2 C

80
1108 kW of LPS
60

40

20 2977 kW cooling utility

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Enthalpy kW

Figure 4: Representation of the GCC

The saving energy

Price before Price after
Before heat after heat $/year $/year Saving
integration kW integration kW
Cooling utility 4483 2977 45248 30047 33.6 %

Heating utility 6352 1108 2544570 443857 82.6 %

The flow sheet after heat integration

7
ETBE flowsheet after heat integration

Fig 1: ETBE Ethermax Process plant after heat integration

Conclusion
The excessive usage of external heating utilities incurs a substantial economic burden in the form of
operating costs. Exchanging the heat and cold streams between each other within the plant by using
heat integration via the pinch diagram reduces the operating cost of the plant and saves the energy.
It is high worth to apply heat integration on this plant by contrast it is worth nothing to apply mass
integration, because the feed is very less amount in the resources

References
1- El-Halwagi, Mahmoud M. Process integration. Vol. 7. Academic Press, 2006.
2- Bakshi A, Jones EM Jr, Strain BA (1992) U.S. Patent No. 5,248,836. U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office Washington, DC, USA.
3- Production of Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE)S