Optimal design of single‐contaminant regeneration reuse water networks with process decomposition

Water network with regeneration schemes (e.g., regeneration reuse, regeneration recycling) can reduce freshwater consumption further than water network merely with direct reuse. Regeneration reuse, compared with regeneration recycling, can additionally avoid unexpected accumulation of contaminants. Owing to these features, process decomposition can help to reduce freshwater usage and wastewater discharge of regeneration reuse water systems and achieve the results, which graphical method delivers. In this article, the effect of decomposition on water‐using process and further on regeneration reuse water system is briefly analyzed on the concentration‐mass load diagram. Then a superstructure and three sequential mathematical models, which take process decomposition into account, are in turn developed to optimize single contaminant regeneration reuse water systems. By several examples, the reliability of the models is verified. Moreover, several decomposition strategies are summarized to realize the regeneration reuse water network, which attains the targets from graphical method. The results indicate that postregeneration concentration has a major impact on the scheme of process decomposition. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

水夹点分析与数学规划法相结合的用水网络优化设计

提出了水夹点分析和数学规划法相结合的用水网络最优设计法。水夹点分析基于对过程用水的理解,获得新鲜水用量目标并给出用水网络设计的基本规则。在此基础上建立过程使用新鲜水、排放废水和回用的各种可能匹配方案的用水网络超结构及其MINLP模型。既避免了用水夹点综合设计用水网络得不到真正意义上的最优解,又在一定程度上防止超结构规模过大,MINLP维数太高,求解困难。采用通用代数建模系统GAMS得到用水网络最优设计方案。文献中的应用实例表明,本文所提方法可充分发挥水夹点分析确定新鲜水用量或回用结构的简洁实用性和超结构MINLP寻求最佳方案的优点。     

A unified model of property integration for batch and continuous processes

This article aims to present a general model for synthesis of property‐based resource conservation networks. The proposed model is applicable to batch and continuous processes. Therein, the process systems are characterized by properties instead of composition that is found in most published works to date in the area of resource conservation. By treating continuous process as a special case of batch processes, both kinds of operations can be optimized with a unified model that is developed on the basis of a superstructure. The overall framework of property network is adopted, where material reuse/recycle, interception, and waste treatment are all taken into consideration. Apart from direct reuse/recycle, interception devices are employed to improve stream properties for further recovery, whereas effluent treatment is needed for compliance with environmental discharge limits. In addition, storage vessels are employed in batch processes to override intrinsic time constraint. Four case studies are solved to illustrate the proposed approach. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010     

基于粒子群优化算法的水分配网络系统综合的最优化研究

The problem of optimal synthesis of an integrated water system is addressed in this study, where water using processes and water treatment operations are combined into a single network such that the total cost of fresh water and wastewater treatment is globally minimized. A superstructure that incorporates all feasible design alterna- tives for wastewater treatment, reuse and recycle, is synthesized with a non-linear programming model. An evolutionary approach--an improved particle swarm optimization is proposed for optimizing such systems. Two simple examples are .Presented.to illustrate the global op.timization of inte.grated water networks using the proposed algorithm.     

多杂质水网络设计和零排放

The paper presents a procedure to design water network. First of all, water reuse system, water regeneration reuse system (including regeneration recycle) and wastewater treatment system are designed separately.But the interaction between different parts demands that each part is designed iteratively to optimize the whole water network. Therefore, on the basis of the separated design a water network superstructure including reuse,regeneration and wastewater treatment is established from the system engineering point of view. And a multiobjective adaptive simulated annealing genetic algorithm is adopted to simultaneously integrate the overall water network to balance the economic and environmental effects. The algorithm overcomes the defect of local optimum of simulated annealing (SA), avoids the pre-maturation of genetic algorithm (GA) and finds a set of solutions (pareto front) in acceptable computer time. From the pareto front, a point with minimum fresh water consumption will be extended to zero discharge as our ultimate goal.     

A framework for synthesizing the optimal separation process of azeotropic mixtures

In this work, a systematic framework is introduced to synthesize the optimal separation process of azeotropic mixtures. The proposed framework, which can handle an arbitrary number of components, consists of two main steps: a system analysis and a state‐space superstructure algorithm. The system analysis is composed of some equation‐oriented algorithms to supply basic information for the superstructure, including structure of the composition space, existence of unchangeable points and candidate operations. It is shown that the proposed superstructure featuring multistream mixing is superior to previous ones because it significantly expands the feasible area. Moreover, detailed design parameters such as number of stages and reflux ratio are derived. Additionally, flowsheet feasibility test rules are constructed to facilitate the analysis of the process, and are able to be used as heuristic methods to guide the design of ternary or quaternary systems. Three industrial cases are presented to illustrate the proposed framework. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012     

Positive and negative effects of excessive water reuse to be considered in water network synthesis

Water network synthesis has focused on maximizing water reuse to minimize freshwater consumption, even though the adverse effect of water use has not been examined until now. This study evaluates and analyzes the positive and negative effects of excessive water reuse on the environmental and economic performance of a water network system. Life cycle assessment and life cycle costing are used to evaluate the environmental impacts and economic costs of the three water systems with the different levels of water reuse. Networking for low water reuse enhances both environmental and economic performance of a water system. However, networking for excessive water reuse deteriorates the economic performance of the water system, even though this networking enhances its environmental performance. Therefore, the positive and negative effects of excessive water reuse should be taken into account in developing new pinch analysis methodologies and mathematical optimization models for water network synthesis.     

单杂质间歇过程用水网络优化

对间歇化工过程用水网络优化提出了基于非线性规划的优化设计方法。该方法采用一个中间贮罐用来接收各单元操作的排水,增加各单元操作之间的水再利用机会。对所有单元操作按照排水时间从早到晚进行排序,只有排在前面的操作才提供给后面的操作用水,结合其他的简化规则,构造了用水网络超结构。该超结构的数学模型为一组非线性方程,利用GAMS软件进行求解,得到各个周期的最小新鲜水量和最优的用水网络结构。实例计算结果表明,该方法可行。     

多杂质体系间歇过程用水网络优化

对多杂质体系完全间歇过程用水网络优化进行了研究,建立了用水网络超结构和非线性规划数学模型,利用中间储罐跨越时间约束,设置用水过程流量上下限以加速收敛。首先确定关键杂质,并将关键杂质浓度最大的水源直接排往废水,获得简化的用水网络超结构;其次,运用GAMS求解,得到最小新鲜水量、废水量、中间储罐数目及优化的用水网络结构。实例研究证明本文提出的方法可行,并能以较少周期获得优化的网络结构,同时可以减少中间储罐数目。     

基于最大水回用规则的遗传算法用水网络优化

超结构用水网络规模大、结构复杂、求解比较困难。本文提出了基于最大水回用规则的遗传算法用水网络优化设计方法,该方法按出口浓度的单调性进行排列,使进口浓度或出口浓度达最大值以确定用水量,简化了用水网络超结构及数学模型。以最小新鲜水量为目标,以过程之间回用水量和废水量为基因,对简化后的用水网络运用遗传算法进行了优化设计。遗传算法采用浮点数编码方法,运用了算术交叉技术和种群间交叉技术。计算实例表明,本文所提方法可行,能利用最大水回用规则简化用水网络,并快速求出其最优解。     

A stepwise optimal design of water network☆

In order to take full advantage of regeneration process to reduce fresh water consumption and avoid the accumu-lation of trace contaminants, regeneration reuse and regeneration recycle should be distinctive. A stepwise opti-mal design for water network is developed to simplify solution procedures for the formulated MINLP problem. In this paper, a feasible water reuse network framework is generated. Some heuristic rules from water reuse net-work are used to guide the placement of regeneration process. Then the outlet stream of regeneration process is considered as new water source. Regeneration reuse network structure is obtained through an iterative optimal procedure by taking the insights from reuse water network structure. Furthermore, regeneration recycle is only utilized to eliminate fresh water usage for processes in which regeneration reuse is impossible. Compared with the results obtained by relevant researches for the same example, the present method not only provides an appro-priate regeneration reuse water network with minimum fresh water and regenerated water flow rate but also sug-gests a water network involving regeneration recycle with minimum recycle water flow rate. The design can utilize reuse, regeneration reuse and regeneration recycle step by step with minor water network structure change to achieve better flexibility. It can satisfy different demands for new plants and modernization of existing plants. ? 2016 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. Al rights reserved.     

Global superstructure optimization for the design of integrated process water networks

We propose a general superstructure and a model for the global optimization for integrated process water networks. The superstructure consists of multiple sources of water, water‐using processes, wastewater treatment, and pre‐treatment operations. Unique features are that all feasible interconnections are considered between them and multiple sources of water can be used. The proposed model is formulated as a nonlinear programing (NLP) and as a mixed integer nonlinear programing (MINLP) problem for the case when 0–1 variables are included for the cost of piping and to establish optimal trade‐offs between cost and network complexity. To effectively solve the NLP and MINLP models to global optimality we propose tight bounds on the variables, which are expressed as general equations. We also incorporate the cut proposed by Karuppiah and Grossmann to significantly improve the strength of the lower bound for the global optimum. The proposed model is tested on several examples. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Optimal design of reverse osmosis‐based water treatment systems

We address the problem of optimal design of reverse osmosis (RO)‐based water treatment systems. A superstructure optimization method is proposed to solve the problem, where the superstructure for a RO system is structurally enhanced with additional features. We formulate the problem as mixed‐integer nonlinear program which is solved to yield optimal results. A case study on desalination is considered in this work, and the numerical results obtained using our approach are validated using a commercial simulation tool. We further extend the problem by considering the effects of degradation of membrane performance over time and solve it by representing the problem as a two‐stage stochastic program. This new approach is highly useful for identifying minimum cost robust designs for membrane‐based water purification systems, which are especially important in desalination applications. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012     

Multilevel strategies for the retrofit of large‐scale industrial water system: A brewery case study

This article presents an approach to designing a large‐scale water system, which integrates water‐using operations and wastewater treatment units in different production sections within the same network. This approach uses a mixed‐integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model for water reuse and regeneration reuse in batch and semicontinuous processes. The application of this mathematical formulation to large‐scale industrial problems with changing daily production schedule leads to huge and complex mathematical models. Two alternative multilevel strategies are proposed to solve such problems by means of temporal decomposition. The approach is illustrated with a brewery case study that integrates water consumers in two production sections. The results obtained show that, despite the high piping cost, integration of both sections yields better result than the separate water network design in each section. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012     

Process‐based graphical approach for simultaneous targeting and design of water network

A new process‐based graphical approach (PGA) is presented for the simultaneous targeting and design of water network. The PGA is extended from the limiting water profile which was developed for flow rate targeting for a water network. Via PGA procedure, apart from locating the minimum freshwater and wastewater flow rate targets, the water network that corresponds to the minimum flow rate targets is also synthesized simultaneously. The proposed approach handles both fixed load (including operations with water loss and/or gain) and fixed flow rate problems equally well. In addition, the approach can be used to synthesize direct reuse/recycle, regeneration reuse/recycling, and total water network. Furthermore, the proposed approach is applicable for water network with multiple freshwater sources. Three literature examples are presented to illustrate the proposed approach. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Development and validation of system design principles for water reuse systems

Decision support software (DSS) for Water Treatment for Reuse with Network Distribution (WTRNet) has been developed within the AQUAREC project on “Integrated Concepts for Reuse of Upgraded Wastewater”, under the Fifth European Community Framework Programme. The overall objective of work conducted as part of the AQUAREC project has been the development and validation of system design principles for water reuse systems. The DSS provides an integrated framework for optimisation of treatment and distribution aspects of water reuse and the selection of end-users, and has been used in the development of the design principles. The principle components of the software (simulation and optimisation models) are presented, followed by the discussion on the software validation. A case study is then illustrated, on which WTRNet has been applied to develop least-cost design alternatives. Design principles for water reuse systems that were achieved by applying the WTRNet tool are presented, in which the importance of utilising formal optimisation in determining the most promising design alternatives is demonstrated.     

A global optimal formulation for the water integration in eco-industrial parks considering multiple pollutants

A mathematical programming formulation for the water integration in eco-industrial parks considering streams with several pollutants is presented. The formulation is based on a superstructure that allows the wastewater reuse in the same plant, the water exchange with different plants, and a shared set of interceptors that must be selected to determine the network configuration that satisfies process equipments and environmental constraints. The model formulation considers wastewater with several pollutants, and optimizes the network according to the minimum total annual cost, which includes the costs of fresh water, piping and regeneration. A new discretization approach is also proposed to handle the large set of bilinear terms that appear in the model in order to yield a near global optimal solution. The results obtained in several examples show considerable savings with respect to the solutions of the individual plant integration policy commonly employed for these types of problems.     

Global optimization in property‐based interplant water integration

This article presents a new global optimization method for the interplant water integration based on properties to characterize streams with numerous components. The problem is formulated as an mixed‐integer non‐linear programming (MINLP) model based on a superstructure that involves all possible options of interest (i.e., reuse and recycle in the same and to other plants and a set of shared treatment units). This formulation exhibits multiple local minima, and to overcome this problem, this article proposes effective branching rules in addition to two new reformulations for the upper bound (integer feasible solution) and the lower limit (relaxed solution), which are incorporated into a spatial branch and bound procedure to handle the bilinear terms in the model. The objective consists in finding the configuration with the minimum total annual cost. Results show that the global optimal solution (involving significant reductions in the fresh water consumption) is reached in few iterations and short central processing unit (CPU) time. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 813–833, 2013     

Optimization-based method for calculating water networks with user specified characteristics

This paper addresses problem of designing water usage network that consists of fixed flow rate water using processes. A design method is founded on the solution of mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model of network superstructure. The application of optimization to solve basic formulation of network synthesis has been reported in some works. However, this approach applies certain extensions of the standard formulation that allow accounting for several industrial scenarios. In particular, it is possible to apply various performance indices and imposing conditions on continuous variables as well as on network topology. Multiple contaminant case is easily accounted for. At least but not at last, the method is able to generate several solutions of identical values of major performance indices but of different structure and other features. All these possibilities are available within single optimization framework. Several examples are given to illustrate advantages of the approach.     

A new superstructure optimization paradigm for process synthesis with product distribution optimization: Application to an integrated shale gas processing and chemical manufacturing process

We propose a novel process synthesis framework that combines product distribution optimization of chemical reactions and superstructure optimization of the process flowsheet. A superstructure with a set of technology/process alternatives is first developed. Next, the product distributions of the involved chemical reactions are optimized to maximize the profits of the effluent products. Extensive process simulations are then performed to collect high‐fidelity process data tailored to the optimal product distributions. Based on the simulation results, a superstructure optimization model is formulated as a mixed‐integer nonlinear program (MINLP) to determine the optimal process design. A tailored global optimization algorithm is used to efficiently solve the large‐scale nonconvex MINLP problem. The resulting optimal process design is further validated by a whole‐process simulation. The proposed framework is applied to a comprehensive superstructure of an integrated shale gas processing and chemical manufacturing process, which involves steam cracking of ethane, propane, n‐butane, and i‐butane. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 123–143, 2018