conceptual design of an integrated process including heat and mass exchange networksand renewable energy

Many process industries include complex networks of mass and heat transfer units. although these units are separately considered during the design and optimization stages, they have some interactions that affect overall performance; therefore, considering these interactions is critical to find an optimal and practical design. the aim of this research is to use a conceptual method to design a process including mass and heat exchange networks emphasizing the application of renewable energy in chemical industries. for this purpose, the process of removing ammonia from the ammonia-rich gaseous streams using a water-based solvent as mass separating agent (msa) and then regeneration of the ammonia-rich external msa stream with steam stripping was investigated. in comparison with results of a mathematical method, the consumption of solvent reduced by about 67% while the number of mass exchange units remained the same, resulting in a 20% reduction of the total annualized cost.