Modares Mechanical Engineering

Modares Mechanical Engineering

Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Shazand Petrochemical's Butadiene Unit Through Pinch Technology and a Geothermal-Based Combined Heat and Power (CHP) System

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Ali Moshiri 1
Mohammad Javad Raji Asadabadi 1
Rouhollah Ahmadi 2
1 Mechanical Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 New Technologies Department, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.48311/mme.2026.96878.0
Abstract
One of the technologies used in the field of energy efficiency improvement, with a history of fifty years, is the Pinch technology. This approach focuses on the pinch point in order to design a heat exchanger network that achieves the highest possible heat recovery with the least thermal losses. In this study, using Pinch technology, the butadiene separation unit of the Shazand Petrochemical Company was analyzed, and a network of heat exchangers was proposed to maximize heat recovery within the system. In this case, a heat exchanger network with 27 exchangers was designed, where the heating and cooling loads were 209,910 kJ/h and 194,100 kJ/h, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed network was optimized, and it was determined that in the new design, the total heating and cooling loads decreased by 54,000 kJ/h, while the number of exchangers increased by six. Subsequently, considering the unit’s thermal and electrical power demands, a combined heat and power (CHP) system based on geothermal energy was designed and integrated with the heat exchanger network. This system is capable of supplying not only the required electrical power (410.625 kW) but also a significant portion of the unit’s heating load (40.11 kW) through the medium-pressure steam it generates. This integration resulted in a considerable reduction in operating costs and energy consumption in the unit, while significantly enhancing the system’s sustainability and efficiency
Keywords
Pinch Technology
Process Integration
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Geothermal Energy
Heat‐Exchanger Network
Subjects
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Modares Mechanical Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 2
February 2026
Pages 129-140