Intelligent System for Design of Heat Exchanger Networks with Improved Controllability

Abstract A heuristic method for integration of heat exchanger network design and its control is proposed in this work. The structural effect of disturbance rejection or minimization of disturbance propagation is considered at the conceptual design stage and is incorporated with the heat exchanger design methodology based on the pinch design method. An intelligent system to implement the heuristic method is also developed. It is successfully applied to the design of a heat exchanger network with lowest possible total cost and highest possible degree of structural controllability.