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pubs.acs.org/IECR

Design and Optimization of Steam Distribution Systems

for Steam Power Plants
Cheng-Liang Chen* and Chih-Yao Lin
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, Republic of China
ABSTRACT: This paper presents a systematic methodology for the design of a steam distribution network (SDN) which satises
the energy demands of industrial processes. A superstructure is proposed to include all potential congurations of steam systems,
and a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is formulated accordingly to minimize the total annualized cost. The
proposed model determines simultaneously (i) the structure and operational conguration of a steam system and (ii) the interaction
between the steam system and the heat recovery system. A series of case studies are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and
benet of the proposed approach.

1. INTRODUCTION
Steam power plants are the main energy supplier for running
chemical processing. Typically, a steam power plant consists of
various units including boilers, gas turbines, steam turbines,
electric motors, steam headers, etc. In the plant, steam is
converted into two types of energy, specically, electricity and
mechanical power. Electricity demands are from the power
required to function process devices. Mechanical power demands
are from the requirement to drive process units. Steam demands
are from heat duties for the heat exchange network or heat
sources for the reaction process.
The design of a steam power plant is a large and complex
problem, where the layout of all types of units and the operating
conditions must be optimized for ecient operation. The steam
distribution network (SDN) is an essential element in devising
the energy management system of a steam power plant. A large
volume of related studies have already been published in the
literature. Basically, two distinct approaches were adopted in
these works: (a) the heuristics-based thermodynamic design
method1,2 and (b) the model-based optimization method.35
The former networks were synthesized with thermodynamic
targets for getting the maximum allowable overall thermal
eciency, while the latter were designed with mixed-integer
linear/nonlinear programs for attaining the minimum total
annualized cost (TAC).
The above-mentioned works were developed to address the
design of an SDN assuming that all units operate at full load to
satisfy a single set of demands and conditions. However, in many
existing chemical processes the common operational feature is
varying demands. This may be due to changing feed/product
specications or changes of heat loss with seasonal variation in
the continuous operation plants, or changes in operations for
batch plants. For example, energy demands in peak season are
higher than in o peak season or steam power plants need more
heat demands in winter since the heat loss is higher.
Because of the limitations of these types of studies, capable
methodologies for the period-varying demands were developed.69
However, the research was only addressing operational problems
for existing plants or design problems without simultaneously
r 2011 American Chemical Society

optimizing unit sizes and loads as continuous functions. More

recently, Aguilar et al.10,11 proposed a mixed-integer linear
programming (MILP) model to address retrot and operational
problems for utility plants, considering structural and operational
parameters as variables to be optimized. The linear model was
realized when some operating conditions of units (e.g., air ow
rate or operating temperature of gas turbines) were prespecied
or some of the entering streams (e.g., from boilers and a heat
recovery steam generator, HRSG) were already at the temperature of the header (predetermined).
From a review of the current literature, there is a need to
develop a more comprehensive design method for SDNs. In this
paper, the main objective of the study is to develop a exible
model for industrial problems. This model can address the
multiperiod operating problem and can easily set up the link
between steam systems and heat recovery networks.
To illustrate the SDN design method developed in this work,
the rest of this paper is organized as follows. The design problem
is formally dened in section 2. The design concept developed by
Papoulias and Grossmann3 is adopted and modied in the
present study for a generalized SDN. The superstructure and
corresponding mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP)
model are described in sections 3 and 4, in which the performance model proposed by Aguilar et al.10 is utilized for the unit
design while equipment is operating at dierent loads. Two cases
on synthesis and design of the network are then presented in
section 5 to demonstrate the feasibility and eectiveness of the
proposed simultaneous optimization strategy. The discussion
and the conclusion of the present studies are provided in sections
6 and 7.

2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The design problem addressed in this paper is stated as
follows: Given are a set of steam demands or a set of hot/cold
Received: October 10, 2010
Accepted: May 6, 2011
Revised:
April 21, 2011
Published: May 06, 2011
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Figure 1. Steam distribution network superstructure.

process streams to be cooled/heated in every period. Given also

are the electricity demands and mechanical power needs of
chemical processing in every period. The objective is to develop
a systematic approach to manage the energy usage in an
ecient way.
This work includes the following: (1) the multiperiod operation problem with given steam demands and (2) the total
processing system design with given process stream data. The
former is to synthesize a cost-optimal steam system that can fulll
energy requirements. The latter is to design a steam distribution
network and heat recovery network (SDNHEN) simultaneously with a minimum TAC.
The given model parameters of this optimization problem
include the following: (1) the design specications of every boiler
unit (i.e., its operating pressure, maximum operating temperature, and the lower and upper bounds of steam ow rate), (2) the
design specications of every gas turbine unit (i.e., its operating
temperature and its minimum and maximum heat loads), (3) the
design specications of every steam turbine unit (i.e., its lower
and upper bounds of steam ow rate), (4) the temperature levels
of cooling water, and (5) the design specications of every
exchanger unit for the HEN design.
The resulting design includes the following: (1) the number of
boiler units and their throughputs in every period, (2) the
number of gas turbine units and their throughputs in every
period, (3) the number of steam turbine units and their
throughputs in every period, (4) the consumption rates of
freshwater and the cooling water usage in every period, (5) the
consumption rates of fuel and rates of electricity import/export,
(6) the steam header pressures/temperatures in every period,
(7) the complete network conguration and the ow rate of an
SDN, and (8) the complete network conguration and the ow
rate of an HEN for the total processing problem.

3. SUPERSTRUCTURE
A superstructure of SDN is constructed to incorporate all
possible ow connections, as presented in Figure 1. More

Figure 2. Superstructures of SDN units: (a) boiler, (b) HRSG, (c) gas
turbine, (d) single-stage steam turbine, (e) multistage steam turbine,
(f) deaerator, and (g) steam header.

detailed superstructures of all units concerned in the SDN are

shown in Figure 2. Steam can be generated with either red or
heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) boilers which operate at
conditions consistent with those of the steam headers. The red
boilers generate steam by providing heat from combustion of a
fuel or a fuel mixture. The HRSG can further utilize the exhausts
from gas turbines to heat water to generate steam.
Steam is collected and distributed to steam consumer units by
the steam header. Note that there are several steam headers in the
generalized steam system. For the given pressure steam demands,
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Figure 3. Heat exchanger network superstructure.

pressure levels are selected at saturated steam pressure corresponding to the minimum temperature requirements. Specically, values not less than their saturated temperatures are
suitable for choices of steam headers. The operating temperatures of headers are treated as decision variables to be optimized.
For the simultaneous design of SDN and HEN, the level and the
amount of steam demands are not given. Both pressures and
temperatures of headers are variables to be determined by the
optimization approach.
There are three types of power-generating devices in the
superstructure for satisfying power demands, i.e., gas turbines,
steam turbines, and electric motors. Turbines can generate
electricity or mechanical power. A gas turbine includes a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, where the hot air exiting the
turbine can further be used in HRSG to enhance the steam
production. Both back-pressure steam turbines and condensing
turbines are considered. For the back-pressure turbine, the
pressure of exhaust steam is higher than atmospheric pressure.
If the condensing turbine is chosen in the design, then a
condenser has to be selected for its operation. Electric motors
are also used to meet the required shaft power demands.
A deaerator is installed to remove dissolved gases to provide
feed water to the boilers to meet the process water demand.
Demineralized water is added to compensate for plant losses.
Pumps are included for the supply of boiler feed water and
cooling water and for the return of condensate.
The stagewise superstructure12 is adopted for the design of
HEN, as shown in Figure 3. Nonisothermal mixing of streams
is considered for the exible design. Each utility can be treated
as a process stream with unknown loads. By this superstructure one can determine the loads of utilities for the giving
process streams.

4. MODEL FORMULATION
Having introduced the superstructures of SDN and HEN, one
can then formulate the synthesis problem as a MINLP. The
material and energy balance equations associated with every unit
are included as the constraints of the optimization problem. The
corresponding equipment models adopted for SDN are taken
from Aguilar et al.10
4.1. Steam Distribution Network. 4.1.1. Boilers. Equation 1
states the mass balance of a boiler, where the feed boiler water

entering the boiler b in a certain period p (fbfw

bp ) equals the
steam to the steam header i (fbip) and the effluent of blowdown
water (fbd
bip ). Therein the blowdown is treated as a fixed j
fraction of the boiler steam output and extracted at saturated
liquid conditions (see Figure 2a). An energy balance is needed
to ensure that the enthalpy entering the boiler equals that
leaving (i.e., eq 2), where qbp denotes the heat absorbed by the
water stream.
X
X
bfw
bd

fbip
fbip
"b B, p P
1
fbp
iI

bfw deaer
fbp
H
qbp

iI

fbip hbip

iI

X bd sat, l
fbip Hi

"b B, p P

iI

2
bd
fbip
jfbip

"b B, p P

In addition, depending on the capacity of units, the constraints

are imposed in the boiler formulation, i.e.
b zbip e fbip e b zbip

"b B, i I , p P

h b are the minimum

where zbip is a binary variable and b and
h
and the maximum capacities, respectively.
Notice that the steam
ow rate is zero when the boiler unit is not selected. It should be
further considered that only one connection exists between
boiler b and steam header i with the boiler b selected. Thus,
the following constraints are imposed in this model.
X
zbi " b B
5
zb
iI

zbi g zbip
zbi e

"b B, i I , p P

zbip

"b B, i I

6
7

pP

There are two types of boilers used in this work, which are
multifuel boilers (b MB) and HRSGs (b HB). The
equipment models of boilers are adopted from Aguilar et al.10
4.1.2. Gas Turbines. For convenience, a set of gas turbines
g G is defined. Figure 2c shows the superstructure of a gas
turbine. Since exhaust of gas turbine g is sent to the HRSG unit b
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as heat input, the corresponding relations are derived below.

X
fgp
fgbp "g G , p P
8
b HB

Tgp

Tgbp

"g G , p P

headers. This device converts the energy of steam into

power. Equations 23 and 24 describe the constraints to
ensure that the operation does not exceed its design capacities. Moreover, it is possible to define a minimum partial
load of units so that the actual output is not less than a given
specified fraction.

b HB

ii0 t zii0 tp e fii0 tp e ii0 t zii0 tp

A gas turbine can generate electricity (g GE) or shaft power

(g GS ). If the latter operation is chosen, then the produced
shaft power wgp is selected to meet the shaft demand j.
X
wgp
wgjp "g GS , p P
10

tT , pP
ii0 t zii0 tp e wii0 tp e ii0 t zii0 tp

g zgbp e fgbp e g zgbp

g zgjp e wgjp e g zgjp
g zgbp e Tgbp e g zgbp

jJ

25

12

ii0 t zii0 tjp e wii0 tjp e ii0 t zii0 tjp

zb

zgb

" b HB

zgb g zgbp
zgb e

"g G , b HB, p P

15

zgbp

16

"g G , b HB

17

"g G , p P

18

"i, i0 I , i < i0 , t T , p P

zii0 t g zii0 tp
X

zii0 t e

gG

26

Also, operation for multiperiod problems should be considered, which is like the boiler and gas turbine units discussed
previously. Equations 27and 28 are the constraints of steam
turbines.

b HB

"i, i0 I , i < i0 ,

t TS , j J , p P

"g G , b HB, p P 13

Similar to the relation between a boiler and a steam header,

eqs 1418 describe the connection and operation between a gas
turbine and a HRSG. If a gas turbine is chosen, a corresponding
HRSG is automatically included, and vice versa.
X
zgb " g G
14
zg

24

The steam turbine can generate electricity (t TE) or shaft

power (t TS ). If the latter operation is chosen, the shaft power
produced by the turbine t is to meet the shaft demand j.
X
wii0 tp
wii0 tjp "i, i0 I , i < i0 , t TS , p P

"g G , b HB, p P 11
"g G , j J , p P

23

"i, i0 I , i < i0 ,

tT , pP

jJ

The following constraints are considered to reect physical and

practical limitations of the equipment. Equations 11 and 12 dene
the unit capacity that must comply with the maximum and minimum
limits. Equation 13 limits the operation range of a temperature.

"i, i0 I , i < i0 ,

zii0 tp

"i, i0 I , i < i0 , t T

27
28

pP

Similar to a gas turbine, constraints for the pair between steam

turbines and shaft demands are presented in eqs 2931.
X
zii0 tj "i, i0 I , i < i0 , t T
29
zii0 t
jJ

pP

zgp

zgbp

zii0 tj g zii0 tjp

"i, i0 I , i < i0 , t T , j J , p P
30

b HB

Equations 1922 are constraints to select gas turbine g for shaft

demand j. Notice a gas turbine is for one shaft demand.
X
zgj "g GS
19
zg
jJ

zgj g zgjp
zgj e

"g GS , j J , p P
zgjp

"g GS , j J

20
21

zii0 tj e

zgp

zii0 tjp

"i, i0 I , i < i0 , t T , j J

31

pP

Single-stage steam turbines (t ST ) are adopted in this work.

This steam turbine features only one inlet and a single outlet
through which the steam is discharged to a lower pressure level.
Equation 32 is a logic constraint for single-stage steam turbines.
X
zii0 t " t ST
32
zt

pP

i, i0 I
i < i0

zgjp

"g GS , p P

22

jJ

4.1.3. Steam Turbines. Figure 2d,e shows a steam turbine

operating between higher pressure and lower pressure steam

Multistage steam turbines (t MT ) can feature several inlets

to take in or outlets to discharge steam at dierent pressure levels.
The single-inlet steam turbines with several extractions are
adopted in this work. Equations 33 and 34 are logic constraints
for the multistage steam turbine, which means one steam inlet is
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Figure 4. Decomposition of the multistage steam turbine.

restricted to this unit.

zt g zii0 t
X

"i, i0 I , i < i0 , t MT

33

"i0 I , t MT

zii0 t e 1

4.1.4. Deaerator. Figure 2f shows a schematic representation for a deaerator device. In this unit the inlet streams
may come from low pressure steam, condensate return from
process, or treated water makeup. After water is treated and
its dissolved gas is removed, the feed water is sent to the boiler
or to the let-down station. Equation 41 describes the mass
flow rate balance. Equation 42 is an energy balance to
guarantee that enough steam is injected into the deaerator
so that the feed water leaving this unit is at saturated liquid
conditions.
X
X
X
bfw
fip fpc
fbp

fipld "p P 41
fpw
iI

fpw Hpw

34

iI
i < i0

fii0 tp fii0 tp

fii0 i00 tp

"i, i0 I , i < i0 , t MT , p P

i00 I
i < i0 < i00

35
X

fii00 tp

fii0 i00 tp

"i, i00 I , i < i00 , t MT , p P

bB

fip hip fpc hcp

!

fipld

i0 I

tT

X
i0 I
i0 > i

ps

fi0 ip fipld fip

i0 < i

fii0 tp

tT

fbip hbip

bB

pd

fii0 p fip fipvent fip

i0 I
i0 > i

X X
i0 I

"i, i00 I , i < i00 , t MT , p P

fi0 itp hi0 itp

tT

i0 < i

i I
i < i0 < i00

"i, i I , i < i , t MT , p P

i0 > i

00

i I
i < i0 < i00

ps

ps

fi0 ip hi0 p fipld H deaer fip Hip

i0 I

B
B
B
B X
B
B
B
B i0 I
@

38

43

i0 < i

zii0 i00 tp e 1

42

"i I , p P

"i, i0 , i00 I , i < i0 < i00 , t MT , p P 37

"p P

i0 I

i <i

zii0 i00 tp e 1

H deaer

fi0 itp

The following constraints are considered for this multistage

unit. Equations 3740 are used to ensure that the stage i00 only
can accept one steam stream from preceding stages and stage i0
only can deliver steam to one next stage.

iI

X
iI

fbip

00

36

4.1.5. Steam Headers. Figure 2g shows the stream balance for a

steam header. The mass balance is given by eq 43. For the top
steam header, the highest pressure steam header, there are no
input streams from steam turbines or let-down stations, and there
is no output vented steam to the environment. The bottom steam
header is a condensing header, in which its flow rates of input
streams from let-down stations or back-pressure steam turbines are zero and its output condensate water is sent to a
deaerator. Equation 44 is an energy balance for a header to
ensure that the total amount of enthalpy entering the header
equals that leaving. It should be noted that a variable for
enthalpy hip (hip = fn(Ti,Pi)) is employed because of the
flexible consideration.

i<i <i

zii0 tp g zii0 i00 tp

bfw
fbp

bB

i0 I
0

The decomposition of a multistage steam turbine is shown in

Figure 4, and the corresponding superstructure is shown in
Figure 2e. A multistage steam turbine is decomposed into several
single-stage turbines which are connected in series so that the
original single-stage equipment performance model can be used
to determine its properties without new model. Equations 35 and
36 describe the mass balance of a multistage steam turbine, where
the higher quality steam (f0 ii0 tp) ows through a multistage
turbine t and then lower quality steam is delivered to a header
i0 (fii0 tp) and to the next stage i00 (fii0 i0 0 tp) as its steam input (f0 ii0 0 tp).

iI

bB

X
tT

fii0 tp

X
i0 I
i0 > i

C
C
C
C
pd
fii0 p fip fipvent fip C
Chip
C
C
A

"i I , p P

44
39

zii0 i00 tp e fii0 i00 tp e zii0 i00 tp

00

00

"i, i , i I , i < i < i ,

t MT , p P

40

4.1.6. Power Balances. Equation 45 ensures that the actual

power delivered by all the drives attached to the common shaft
meets the corresponding demands in each operating period. A
gas turbine g, a steam turbine t, and an electric motor m can be
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used to meet the required power demands.

X
X X
X
wgjp
wii0 tjp
wmjp
g GS

t TS

i, i I

capacity flow rates.

thkp  thc, k1, p fhckp qhckp

"h H , c C , k K , p P

mM

51

i <i

tchkp  tc, k1, p fchkp qhckp

dem, s

wjp

"h H , c C , k K , p P

45

52

In this study, the electricity produced by the steam and/or gas

turbine can be used to meet the needs of chemical process. The
overall balance equation can be written accordingly by eq 46. The
left-hand side of this expression accounts for the supply of
electricity, while the terms of the right-hand side correspond to
the potential consumers.

The total ow balances for theses split heat capacity ow rates

in each stage k can be stated as follows.
X
fhckp Fhp "h H , k K , p P
53

X
g GE

"j J , p P

wgp

X
t TE

i, i0 I

X
mM

,e
wii0 tp wimp
p

X wmjp
,e
wexp
p
m
jJ

"p P

46

heat exchange for all process streams. The constraints specify that
the overall heat of each hot process stream is removed with cold
process streams or cold utilities. Similar constraints also apply for
all cold streams, as stated in eqs 47 and 48:
X X
kK cC

qhckp qcu
hp

in
t h, 1, p
Thp

Tcpin tc, K1, p

out
in
 Tcp
Fcp
Tcp

kK hH

qhckp qhu
cp

"h H , p P

"c C , p P

4.2.2. Heat Balance at Each Stream. Heat balances are also

needed in each stage for each stream, as shown in eqs 49 and 50.
Note that the index k is used to represent the stage and the
temperature location in the superstructure. Stage location k = 1
involves the highest temperatures. qhckp denotes the heat exchange between hot process stream h and cold process stream
c in stage k.
thkp  th, k1, p Fhp

qhckp

49
tckp  tc, k1, p Fcp

qhckp

"c C , k K , p P

55

"c C , p P

56

"h H , k K , p P

57

tckp g tc, k1, p

"c C , k K , p P

58

"h H , p P

59

out
Tcp
g tc, 1, p

"c C , p P

60

4.2.6. Hot and Cold Utility Loads. Equations 61 and 62 are

posed to calculate hot or cold utility loads needed for each
process stream.
out
Fhp qcu
th, K1, p  Thp
hp
out
Tcp
 tc, 1, p Fcp qhu
cp

"h H , k K , p P

cC

"h H , p P

thkp g th, k1, p

out
e th, K1, p
Thp

48

54

4.2.5. Feasibility of Temperatures. The following constraints

(eqs 5760) are included to guarantee monotonic decrease of all
temperatures at successive stages.

47
X

"c C , k K , p P

4.2.4. Assignment of Superstructure Inlet Temperatures. The

given inlet/outlet temperatures of hot and cold processes are
assigned as the inlet/outlet temperatures to the superstructure. For
hot process streams, the inlet corresponds to the location k = 1,
while for cold streams the inlet corresponds to location k = K 1.

4.2. Heat Exchanger Network. 4.2.1. Overall Heat Balance

for Each Stream. An overall heat balance is included to ensure

in
out
 Thp
Fhp
Thp

fchkp Fcp

hH

i < i0

,e
wdem
p

cC

"h H , p P

61

"c C , p P

62

4.2.7. Logic Constraints. Logic constraints and binary variables are

needed to determine the existence of stream match (h, k) in stage k.
hu
zhckp, zcu
hp, and zcp are binary variables for process stream matches, for
cold utility matches, and for hot utility matches, respectively.

hH

qhckp  zhckp e 0

50

"h H , c C , k K , p P
63

4.2.3. Heat Balance for Each Unit. For each local exchange
unit, heat balances are needed, where fhckp and fhckp are split heat

cu
qcu
hp  zhp e 0

8102

"h H , p P

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hu
qhu
cp  zcp e 0

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"c C , p P

65

Table 1. Site Conditions

4.2.8. Calculation of Approach Temperatures. For determining the area requirement of the heat exchanger, approach
temperatures are used to calculate the log mean temperature
difference (LMTD) approximated by using the Chen equation.13
The area requirement of each match will be incorporated in the
objective function. The constraints 6669 are expressed as
inequalities since the cost of the exchanger decreases with higher
values for the approach temperatures.

total working hours

8600 h/year

fuel oil no. 2 LHV

45 000 kJ/kg

natural gas LHV

50 244 kJ/kg

electric prices

0.07 $/kWh

fuel oil no. 2 price

natural gas price

0.19 $/kg
0.22 $/kg

raw water price

0.05 $/ton

Table 2. Demand Data (All in MW) for Case 1

dthckp e thkp  tchkp 1  zhckp

"h H , c C ,

kK, pP
dthc, k1, p e thc, k1, p  tc, k1, p 1  zhckp

"h H ,

c C, k K , p P
out, cu
1  zcu
dtcu
hp e th, K1, p  T
hp

period

66

67

"h H , p P
68

out, hu
 tc, 1, p 1  zhu
dthu
cp e tcp
cp "c C , p P 69

min J1

x 1 1

X
pP

Cu fbup

bB uU

bB

MP steam demands (17 bar)

LP steam demands (4.5 bar)

20
55

16
66

22
60

10
45

total steam demands

75

82

84

60

electricity demands

4.5

7.2

2.8

3.5

shaft power demand 1

1.2

2.0

1.3

1.8

shaft power demand 2

1.5

1.0

1.1

0.9

shaft power demand 3

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.8

x1 

X
dD

pd

imp;e

exp;e

max
max
wii0 tjp ; wmax
; wp ; zb ; zbp ; zbi ; zbip >
g ; wt ; wmjp ; wm ; wp
>
>
>
>
>
>
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
;
z
d g gp gb gbp gj gjp m t ii0 t ; zii0 tp ; zii0 tj ; zii0 tjp ; zii0 i00 tp >
>
>
>
>
>
>
0
00
>
>
"b B; d D ; g G ; i; i ; i I
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
;
:
j J ;m M ;p P;t T ;u U

pP

cw
imp, e imp, e
, e wexp, e
Cwp fpw Ccw
wp
 Cexp
p f p Cp
p
p

X X

Cu fbup

bB uU

bB

g
var
zg Cfix
g Cg G g

tT

zb Cfix
b

gG uU
b
Cvar
b Gb

t
Cvar
t Gt

d
Cvar
d Gd

X X X

hH

70

cC

8103

hrs
Cu fgup qcu
hp tp

g
var
zg Cfix
g Cg Gg

mM

var m
zm Cfix
m Cm Gm

var
d
zd Cfix
d Cd Gd

hH cC kK

var m
zm Cfix
m Cm G m

X X

gG

zt Cfix
t

dD

zd Cfix
d

ps

fii0 i00 tp ; fii00 tp ; fpw ; fip ; fpc ; fipld ; fii0 p ; fip ; fipvent ; fip ; fdmax
hbip ; hii0 tp ; hip ; hcp ; Tgp ; Tgbp ; qbp ; qbup ; qgp ; wgp ; wgjp ; wii0 tp

var
t
zt Cfix
t Ct G t

9
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
=

bfw

bd max
fbp ; fbip ; fbip
; fb ; fbup ; fgp ; fgbp ; fii0 tp ; fii0 tp

min J2

x2 2

Cu fgup tphrs

8
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<

1 fx1 jeqs 146g

gG

mM

gG uU

var
b
zb Cfix
b Cb Gb

tT

X X

where x1 is a vector of variables, and 1 is a feasible searching

space delimited by the constraints.

cw
imp, e imp, e
,e
Cwp fpw Ccw
wp
 Cpexp, e wexp
p fp C p
p

X X

HP steam demands (45 bar)

4.3. Objective Function and MINLP Formulation. The

objective function in the synthesis model is the TAC, which

includes the sum of operating and the annualized capital costs.
The former consists of the costs of fuels, cooling water, fresh
water, and purchased electricity. The latter includes the fixed
and variable costs of all units. There are two objectives
considered in this work, as shown in eqs 70 and 71. The first
objective is the design of SDN for the given steam demands.
The second objective is the simultaneous design of SDN and
HEN for the given process streams, where their interaction
can be optimized. It should be mentioned that the hot utility
requirement of HEN is satisfied with steam from the steam
system.

var
hck
zhck Cfix
hck Chck Ghck

fix
var
h
zcu
h Ch Ch Gh

fix
var c
zhu
c Cc C c G c

71

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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

ARTICLE

where x2 is a vector of variables, and 2 is a feasible searching

space delimited by the constraints.

x2 

8
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
<

bfw

hu
cu
bd max
dtcp
; dthckp ; dthp
; fbp ; fbip ; fbip
; fb ; fbup ; fchkp ; fgp

0
0
fgbp ; fhckp ; fii0 tp ; fii0 tp ; fii0 i00 tp ; fii00 tp ; fpw ; fip ; fpc ; fipld ; fii0 p
ps vent pd max
out;hu
fip ; fip ; fip ; fD ; hbip ; hii0 tp ; hip ; hcp ; tchkp ; tckp ; tcp
hu
thckp ; thkp ; Tgp ; Tgbp ; qbp ; qbup ; qcp ; qgp ; qhckp ; wgp ; wgjp ; wii0 tp
imp;e
exp;e
>
max
max
max
>
w
; wp ; zb ; zbp ; zbi ; zbip ; zhu
>
ii0 tjp ; wg ; wt ; wmjp ; wm ; wp
cp
>
>
>
>
zg ; zgp ; zgb ; zgbp ; zgj ; zgjp ; zhckp ; zcu
; zt ; zii0 t ; zii0 tp ; zii0 tj ; zii0 tjp ; zii0 i00 tp
>
hp
>
>
>
0 00
>

>
>
>
:

"b B; c C ; d D ; g G ; h H ; i; i ; i I
j J ;k K ;m M ;p P;t T ;u U

9
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
=
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
;

2 fx2 jeqs 169g

5. CASE STUDIES
In this section, two case studies are presented to demonstrate
the application of the proposed MINLP model. In case 1, SDN
design with the given steam demands is studied. The process data
are taken from the work of Bruno et al.,4 which was originally
solved for the single period operation only. The other period
demands are added in the present example to facilitate a multiperiod SDN design. In case 2, simultaneous design for SDN and
HEN is studied, where the interaction between a steam system
and a heat recovery system can be optimized.
The site conditions for case studies are presented in Table 1.
The optimization platform employed was the General Algebraic
Modeling System (GAMS).14 The solver used was SBB15 for the
MINLP model. An Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 2.53 GHz computer
with 1 GB of RAM was used.

Table 3. Steam Header Conditions for Case 1

P (bar)

saturated temp (C)

specied temp (C)

45

257.4

369.0

17

204.3

265.0

147.9

148.0

4.5

5.1. Case 1. SDN Design Problem Associated with Multiperiod Demands. Let us first consider the SDN design problem

associated with multiperiod demands in a chemical process. The

set of the energy demands is given in Table 2. As can be seen,
there is a demand for electricity, three shaft power demands, and
demands for high, medium, and low pressure steam. The operating pressures of steam headers and the corresponding saturated
temperatures are shown in Table 3. In order to discuss the effect
of the header temperatures, three scenarios are considered in
this case study. The investment cost functions are taken from
Bruno et al.4 and are presented in Table 7 in the Appendix. The
annualized capital recovery factor adopted is 0.15.
5.1.1. Scenario 1: Specified Steam Header Temperatures. In
this scenario, specified temperatures of steam headers are used
for the design. More specifically, the temperatures are treated as
given constants (not decision variables), and then an MINLP
model is solved accordingly to synthesize the steam distribution
network. The specified header temperatures adopted in this
scenario are presented in Table 3. A two-period problem with
equal operating time (50%) is studied. Note that electricity
export is not considered in this study.
The optimal conguration obtained in the rst scenario has a
TAC of $13.97 million year1 and is shown in Figure 5. There are
one boiler, three steam turbines, and one electric motor installed
in the steam system. A high pressure (HP) boiler is chosen for the
steam production. A HPmedium pressure (MP) back-pressure
steam turbine is used for the electricity generation. Part of
electricity import is required, which is 205 and 2319 kW for
periods 1 and 2, respectively. Shaft power demands 1 and 2 are
satised with steam turbines (two MPlow pressure (LP) backpressure steam turbines). The remaining shaft power demand is
satised with an electric motor.
From the result, it is found that the specied header temperature strategy restricts the design of SDN. Some feasible structure
or operating opportunities may be excluded due to the temperature restriction.
5.1.2. Scenario 2: Optimized Steam Header Temperatures. In
scenario 2, a more practical design strategy is proposed. The
same problem is solved again without the specified temperature
constraints. Each steam header temperature is treated as a

Figure 5. Optimal SDN design for scenario 1 in case 1.

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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

ARTICLE

Figure 6. Optimal SDN design for scenario 2 in case 1.

Figure 7. Optimal SDN design for scenario 3 in case 1.

Table 4. Comparative Economic Parameters for the Major

Results of Case 1

Table 5. Process Stream Data of Case 2

steam type and number

CP (kW/C)

Tin (C)

Tout (C)

H1

205

388

110

H2

152

210

60

119.90

C1

753

100

200

scenario 1

scenario 2

scenario 3

total annualized cost ($105)

139.72

134.75

120.63

overall fuel cost ($105)

121.75

123.78

overall electricity cost ($105)

7.60

0.00

10.73

C2

377

140

255

annualized capital cost ($105)

9.91

10.51

11.03

C3

143

70

140

variable to be optimized. It is expected to find appropriate

temperatures for each steam header throughout all periods.
Figure 6 shows the resulting network structure. One can see
that the optimal conguration is dierent from the result of

scenario 1. A HPMP steam turbine and a MPLP steam

turbine are installed to meet the need of shaft demands 1 and 3,
respectively, which replace the original MPLP turbine and the
electric motor. An electric motor is installed for the shaft demand
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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

ARTICLE

2. An HPLP steam turbine is installed to meet the requirement

of electricity. The electricity import decreases to 0 kW. The
optimized temperatures of steam headers are 356.3, 284.9, and
159.9 C (period 1) and 399.8, 297.7, and 185.9 C (period 2)
for high, medium, and low pressure, respectively. The corresponding TAC is $13.47 million year1. It is evident that the
TAC can be reduced under the proposed exible strategy.
5.1.3. Scenario 3: Multiperiod Operating Design. In this
scenario, four periods with equal operating time (25%) are
considered to show the capability for the design of multiperiod
operating. The set of demands is presented in Table 2. HP steam
demands are requested in period 3 and period 4. Note that
electricity export is allowed and its price is assumed the same as
the import price.
Figure 7 shows the network layout and the corresponding
operating state. The TAC of this design is $12.06 million year1.
Table 6. Demand Data (All in kW) of Case 2
power demands
electricity demand

4500

shaft power demand 1

2000

shaft power demand 2

1200

As can be seen, optimized header temperatures are determined.

Clearly, the operating temperatures are not unique, which are
changed with varying demands. Mechanical demands are satised with one steam turbine and two electric motors. The high
pressure steam turbine exhausts mainly to the medium pressure
header for electricity generation. Steam systems tend to generate
more electricity during the rst, second, and third time period,
and therefore the excess electricity is exported. Electricity import
is necessary only in the last period. Since the steam demands are
lower than in other periods, the steam available to generate electricity is lower, too. In this example the ability of the proposed
model to choose the best option for electricity generation and the
optimal conguration of power generating devices, and their
inuence on the operation, can be demonstrated.
From the result of these scenarios, it is evident that if the
exible model is considered for the SDN design, the lower TAC
can be accomplished. More detailed information for these
scenarios is shown in Table 4.
5.2. Case 2. Simultaneous SDN and HEN Design Problem.
Let us consider a chemical process in which the heat capacity flow
rates (CP) of two hot streams and three cold streams are
identified (see Table 5). Single-period operation is considered.
Electricity and mechanical power demands are required and are

Figure 8. Optimal SDN design for case 2.

Figure 9. Optimal HEN design for case 2.

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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

Table 7. Investment Cost Data4
unit
(1) eld erected boiler (VHP)
F, maximum steam ow rate (tons/h)

investment cost ($/year)

22970F0.82fp1
fp1 = 0.6939 0.1214P
 3.79843P2

P, pressure (MPa)
(2) large package boiler
F, maximum steam ow rate (tons/h)

4954F0.77fp2
fp2 = 1.3794  0.5438P
0.1879P2

P, pressure (MPa)
(3) heat recovery steam generator

941Ffg0.75

Ffg, maximum ue gas ow rate (tons/h)

(4) steam turbine

81594 18.052Wst

Wst, maximum power (kW)

(5) gas turbine

321350 67.618Wgt

Wgt, maximum power (kW)

(6) electric generator

8141 0.6459Weg

Weg, maximum power (kW)

(7) electric motor

1601 27.288Wel

Wel, maximum power (kW)

(8) deaerator

7271 79.25FB

FB, maximum BFW ow rate (tons/h)

(9) condensor

3977 1.84Fc

Fc, maximum cooling

water ow rate (tons/h)
(10) centrifugal pump

(475.3 34.95Pw
 0.0301Pw2)fpw

Pw, power (kW)

fpw = 1 (<1.03 MPa)
fpw = 1.62 (1.033.45 MPa)
fpw = 2.12 (>3.45 MPa)

shown in Table 6. The annual cost is 1200[area (m2)]0.6 for all

exchangers.12 The minimum temperature difference for the
design of HEN is 10 K. In this case, the objective is to optimize
the interaction between SDN and HEN.
The optimal SDN is presented in Figure 8. Three steam
headers are suggested for SDN, where their properties are HP
(50.9 bar, 398.8 C), MP (19.1 bar, 297.6 C), and LP (4.7 bar,
229.7 C). It is mentioned that the steam levels are not specied
previously, but are optimized by the proposed approach. This
steam system provides the multiple utilities for the heat recovery
network. The steam level decisions are the trade-o results of
simultaneous consideration for SDN and HEN. In SDN, one HP
boiler and three back-pressure steam turbines are included. Two
turbines are used for the shaft power demands and one is for
electricity generation. A part of the electricity demand is satised
with the steam system (2040 kW), and another part is from the
import (2707 kW). The optimal HEN is shown in Figure 9,
where four heat exchangers, two heaters, and one cooler are
included. Hot utilities are from an MP steam header (49.2 MW)
and an LP steam header (3.1 MW). The corresponding TAC is
$14.19 million year1.

6. DISCUSSION
In scenario 1 of case 1, temperatures of steam headers are
specied before a network structure is available. On the other

ARTICLE

hand, header temperatures are treated as temperature-independent and therefore operation and design possibilities may be
restricted. In scenario 2, the header temperatures are considered
as decision variables and a one-step procedure is developed with
the ability to optimize the network structure and the operating
conditions simultaneously. It is appreciated that the better design
and operation can be accomplished under this approach. In
scenario 3, four periods with electricity import and export are
studied. The result reveals that steam turbines for the electricity
generation are preferred due to the higher operating exibility.
Thus, the steam system can maintain higher operating eciency
throughout all periods.
In case 2, simultaneous design for SDN and HEN is studied.
The proposed model can determine both the moderate operating
conditions and the corresponding network for the steam system
and the heat recovery system. The operating condition determination can aect the operation eciency for steam systems
and the heat recovery circumstance for the given chemical
process. In this work, the interaction between two systems can
be optimized.

7. CONCLUSION
Changes in specications, composition of feed, and seasonal
product demands may cause several process conditions with
variation in the energy requirements during an annual horizon. In
the rst part, an MINLP model, based on unit superstructures,
has been developed to design a steam system with variable utility
demands. Complex multiperiod scenarios were studied that
together consider the design and operation of steam power
systems in an industrial plant. In the second part, a novel
methodology has been developed to address the design of a
steam system and a heat recovery network. This work determines
the optimal structure for both SDN and HEN, and also estimates
the moderate operating conditions. The results from the case
studies demonstrate that better energy management and utilization can be realized with the proposed model.
APPENDIX
The investment cost data according to Bruno et al.4 are
itemized in Table 7.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author

*Tel.: 886-2-33663039. Fax: 886-2-23623040. E-mail: CCL@

ntu.edu.tw.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Financial support of the National Science Council of ROC
(under Grants NSC98-3114-E-002-009 and NSC100-3113E-002-004) is appreciated.
NOMENCLATURE
Indices

b = index for boilers

c = index for cold process or utility streams
g = index for gas turbines
h = index for hot process or utility streams
i = index for steam headers
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j = index for shaft power demands
k = index for stages
p = index for time periods
t = index for steam turbines
u = index for fuels
Sets

B = {b|b is a boiler, b = 1, ..., B} = MB HB

MB = {b|b is a multifuel boiler, b = 1, ..., MB}
HB = {b|b is a heat recovery steam generator, b = 1, ..., HB}
C = {c|c is a cold process stream, c = 1, ..., C}
G = {g|g is a gas turbine, g = 1, ..., G}
GE = {g|g is a gas turbine for the generation of electricity, g = 1, ...,
GE}
GS = {g|g is a gas turbine for the production of shaft power,
g = 1, ..., GS}
H = {h|h is a hot process stream, h = 1, ..., H}
I = {i|i is a steam header, i = 1, ..., I}
J = {j|j is a shaft power demand, j = 1, ..., J}
K = {k|k is a stage, k = 1, ..., K}
P = {p|p is a time period, p = 1, ..., P}
T = {t|t is a steam turbine, t = 1, ..., T} = ST MT
ST = {t|t is a single-stage steam turbine, t = 1, ..., ST}
MT = {t|t is a multistage steam turbine, t = 1, ..., MT}
TE = {t|t is a steam turbine for the generation of electricity,
t = 1, ..., TE}
TS = {t|t is a steam turbine for the production of shaft power, t =
1, ..., TS}
U = {u|u is a fuel, u = 1, ..., U}
Parameters

Cx
* = xed coecient function for units, where * = {b, c, d, g,
h, m, t}
Cvar
* = variable coecient function for units, where * = {b, c, d, g,
h, m, t}
Cwp = cost per unit mass of demineralized water makeup in time
period p, $ kg1
cw
Cp = cost per unit mass of cooling water in time period p, $ kg1
Cimp,e
= specic cost of imported electricity in time period p,
p
$ kWh1
exp,e
Cp = specic cost of exported electricity in time period p,
$ kWh1
Cu = cost per unit mass of fuel u, $ kg1
Fcp = heat capacity ow rate for cold process stream c in period p,
kW/C
Fhp = heat capacity ow rate for hot process stream h in period p,
kW/C
G* * = coecient function of units, where * = {b, c, d, g, h, m, t}
= enthalpy of saturated steam at steam header i level,
Hsat,l
i
kJ kg1
ps
Hip = enthalpy of steam supplied by processes and delivered at
header i in period p, kJ kg1
w
Hp = enthalpy of demineralized water makeup in period p,
kJ kg1
deaer
H
= enthalpy of water leaving a deaerator, kJ kg1
hrs
tp = number of operating hours in time period p, h period1
Tin
cp = inlet temperature of cold process stream c in period p, C
Tout
cp = outlet temperature of cold process stream c in period p, C
Tin
hp = inlet temperature of hot process stream h in period p, C
Tout
hp = outlet temperature of hot process stream h in period p, C
= shaft power demand j in time period p, kW
wdem,s
jp

ARTICLE

= total electricity demand in time period p, kW

wdem,e
p

h = upper bound for heat exchange, kW

h b, b = upper and lower bounds of steam ow rate for boiler b,

h kg s1

h g, g = upper and lower bounds of gas ow rate for gas turbine

h g, kg s1

h ii0 t, ii0 t = upper and lower bounds of steam ow rate for steam
h
turbine t, kg s1

h, = arbitrary very large value and very small value

h g = upper and lower bounds of power generation for gas

h g,
h
turbine g, kW

h ii0 t, ii0 t = upper and lower bounds of power generation for steam
h
turbine t, kW

h g, g = maximum and minimum operating temperatures for gas

h turbine g, C
j = xed blowdown fraction for boilers
m = xed eciency for electric motors
Continuous Variables

dthu
cp = temperature approach for the match of cold stream c and
hot utility in period p, C
dthckp = temperature approach for match (h, c) at temperature
location k in period p, C
dtcu
hp = temperature approach for the match of hot stream h and
cold utility in period p, C
fmax
= maximum steam ow rate for boiler b, kg s1
b
fbip = steam output from boiler b to steam header i in time period
p, kg s1
bd
fbip = blowdown water for boiler b at pressure i in time period p,
kg s1
bfw
fbp = boiler feed water for boiler b in time period p, kg s1
fbup = fuel u consumed in boiler b in time period p, kg s1
fchkp = heat capacity ow rate for cold stream c at stage k in time
period p, kW/C
= maximum water ow rate for deaerator, kg s1
fmax
d
fgbp = exhaust gas from gas turbine g to HRSG b in time period p,
kg s1
fgp = gas turbine g exhaust mass ow rate, kg s1
fgup = fuel u consumed in gas turbine g in time period p, kg s1
fhckp = heat capacity ow rate for hot stream h at stage k in time
period p, kW/C
fii0 tp = steam ow rate from header i to header i0 through a steam
turbine t in time period p, kg s1
f0ii0 tp = input steam ow rate from header i to header i0 through a
multistage steam turbine t in time period p, kg s1
0 0 00
fii i tp = steam ow rate from stage i0 to stage i00 for a multistage
steam turbine t in time period p, kg s1
fii0 p = steam ow rate from header i to header i0 in time period p,
kg s1
fip = steam ow rate from header i to deaerator in time period p,
kg s1
ld
fip = desuperheating boiler feed water injected into header i in
time period p, kg s1
pd
fip = steam process demand at header i in time period p, kg s1
1
fps
ip = steam from process entering header i in time period p, kg s
vent
1
fip = vented steam at header i in time period p, kg s
fcp = condensate return in period p, kg s1
fwp = demineralized water makeup in time period p, kg s1
fcw
p = cooling water mass ow rate for condensers in time period
p, kg s1
hbip = enthalpy of steam generated by boiler b entering header i in
period p, kJ kg1
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hii0 tp = enthalpy of a discharge by steam turbine t entering header
i0 in period p, kJ kg1
hip = enthalpy of steam header i in period p, kJ kg1
hcp = enthalpy of returning condensate from processes in period p,
kJ kg1
qbp = heat added to the water in boiler b in time period p, kW
qhu
cp = heat exchanged between hot utility and cold stream c in
time period p, kW
qhckp = heat exchanged between hot stream h and cold stream c in
stage k in period p, kW
qcu
hp = heat exchanged between hot stream h and cold utility in
time period p, kW
tchkp = temperature of cold stream c at stage k in time period p, C
tckp = temperature of cold stream c at hot end of stage k in time
period p, C
Tgbp = exhaust gas temperature for gas turbine g delivered to
HRSG b in time period p, C
Tgp = exhaust gas temperature for gas turbine g, C
thckp = temperature of hot stream h at stage k in time period p, C
thkp = temperature of hot stream h at hot end of stage k in time
period p, C
= design/maximum gas turbine g power output, kW
wmax
g
wgp = power produced by gas turbine g in time period p, kW
wgjp = shaft power produced by gas turbine g to shaft demand j in
period p, kW
wii0 tp = power produced by steam turbine t in period p, kW
wii0 tjp = shaft power produced by steam turbine t to shaft demand
j in period p, kW
wmax
m = design/maximum power for electric motor m, kW
wmjp = shaft power produced by electric motor m to shaft demand
j in period p, kW
= design/maximum steam turbine t power output, kW
wmax
t
= electricity imported in time period p
wimp,e
p
= electricity exported in time period p
wexp,e
p
Binary Variables

zb = denotes the presence of boiler b

zbp = denotes the operating status of boiler b
zbi = denotes the existence of the connection between boiler b
and header i
zbip = denotes the existence of steam ow from boiler b to header
i in time period p
=
denotes
that hot utility exchanges heat with cold stream c in
zhu
cp
period p
zg = denotes the presence of gas turbine g
zgb = denotes the existence of the connection between gas turbine
g and boiler b
zgbp = denotes the existence of gas ow from gas turbine g to
boiler b in time period p
zgj = denotes the existence of the connection between gas turbine
g and shaft demand j
zgjp = denotes the existence of shaft demand j supplied by gas
turbine g in time period p
zgp = denotes the operating status of gas turbine g in time period p
zhckp = denotes the existence of match (h, c) in stage k in period p
zcu
hp = denotes that cold utility exchanges heat with hot stream h in
period p
zt = denotes the presence of steam turbine t
zii0 t = denotes the existence of the connection of steam turbine t
between i and i0 headers
zii0 i0 0 tp = denotes the existence of steam ow from stage i0 to stage
i00 of a multistage steam turbine t in time period p

ARTICLE

zii0 tj = denotes the existence of the connection between steam

turbine t and shaft demand j
zii0 tjp = denotes the existence of shaft demand j supplied by steam
turbine t in time period p
zii0 tp = denotes the operating status of steam turbine t in time
period p

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