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Process integration applied to a papermaking site

Panel: 4. Undertaking high impact actions: The role of technology and systems optimisation

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Aurélie VUILLERMOZ, EDF R&D - EPI Department, France
Jacques PIERUCCI, ARJOWIGGINS Graphics, France
Leandro SALGUEIRO, EPFL, Switzerland

Abstract

In France, energy consumption in the paper industry represents 10% of the final energy consumed by the industrial sector, of which 70% is used for heat purposes. Both environmental and competitiveness issues are pushing the sector to reach more energy savings.

In this context, this paper presents the application of an energy integration methodology inspired by the so-called pinch analysis to a papermaking site of the North of France: instead of focusing only on the utilities or on the major energy-consuming equipment of the process, the energy integration considers simultaneously all the heating and cooling needs of the process and optimizes heat recovery and heat pumping at the whole site scale.

After a first step of data collection and data reconciliation, the composite curves of the site are built to set the maximum target for internal heat recovery, which represents 14% of the current hot utility consumption. Then, the heat exchanger network is optimized to reach minimal energy requirement and utilities are integrated with a particular concern to high temperature heat pumps that can supply process needs above 90°C. Last but not least, the heat recovery solutions are selected and prioritized regarding their practical feasibility and their internal rate of return.

As a result, the efficiency of existing heat recovery is challenged, and new realistic heat recovery equipments are proposed, which involve both mature technologies and equipments under development that will be commercially available in a short future. Those results can be applied not only to the studied site, but also to other papermaking sites with similar processes.

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