Aplicação da metodologia Pinch de integração energética em um processo de síntese da amônia

Abstract

Ammonia production is very important for the world economy. It is an input nitrogen supplier for fertilizer production, but it has a production process with high energy consumption. Energy integration is shown to be a viable alternative to reduce energy costs. The Pinch methodology based on the principles of thermodynamics, presents heuristic ways to optimize the energy cost of industrial plants, through the exchange of energy between the various hot and cold streams of a process, reducing the use of water and steam. The results indicate a reduction above 50% in the use of utilities, consequently in the cost of processing. With the installation of another heat exchanger in the plant is possible such an economy, which revolves around 47000 annual dollars, for a production of 200.2 kmol of ammonia per hour.