Globally optimal synthesis of heat exchanger networks. Part II: Nonminimal networks

In Part I of this work, the synthesis of minimal heat exchanger networks using the isothermal mixing stage-wise superstructure was presented. In this Part II, an extension of the algorithm presented in Part I is made to consider networks that allow multiple solutions regarding heat allocation, that is, they have energy loops where heat loads can be rearranged without changing the overall energy consumption. We extend the strategy of our Part I to use a set of nested loops to enumerate the number of units, the structure of matches, the energy consumption, different values of exchanger minimum approximation temperature (EMAT), and different locations where EMAT is active. All the models used are linear and are aided by capital cost evaluations. As in Part I, we claim global optimality based on our conjectures. Literature examples are solved to show the effectiveness of the algorithm.