Thermodynamic analysis of cumene production plant for identification of energy recovery potentials

In this work, exergy analysis of cumene production plant is carried out in an integrated environment of Aspen Plus and MATLAB. Physical exergy is calculated in Aspen Plus V.10, while an interface of MATLAB and Aspen Plus is used to calculate chemical exergy of the process. For systematic analysis and comparison, the cumene plant is divided into three sections: preheating section, reaction section and separation section. Then, exergy efficiency, irreversibilities and exergetic improvement potential are calculated. The overall plant exergy efficiency, irreversibility and improvement potential are found as 84.93%, 95960.52 kW and 15102.5 kW, respectively. The reaction section has the highest exergy efficiency of 87.44%, while the separation section has the lowest exergy efficiency of 58.95%. The analyses performed in this study can provide a basis for optimization of design and operation of the plants.

Automated summary

This study conducts exergy analysis of a cumene production plant using an integrated environment of Aspen Plus and MATLAB. The analysis provides a basis for optimization of the plant's design and operation.