Optimal design of batch water network with a flexible scheduling framework

The rising cost of freshwater and wastewater treatment drives the development of systematic methods for water integration in batch plants. In addition, in batch processes, production rescheduling can further reduce freshwater consumption and wastewater generation. In this work, a design procedure for the synthesis of batch water networks, based on a flexible scheduling framework, is presented. Within the procedure a match ranking matrix is utilized to prioritize the matches between water sources and sinks. Based on the ranking, batch water networks can be designed while considering the time-dependent nature of batch processes. The design of a batch water network and a production schedule can be obtained simultaneously with the objective of minimizing freshwater consumption. In this work two examples are considered to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. In the first example a regenerator with a fixed outlet concentration is incorporated to treat wastewater for further reuse. In the second example a batch plant with multiple contaminants is presented, in which a fixed removal ratio regenerator is employed. The results of these two examples demonstrate that the proposed method is a simple, effective approach for the design of batch water network with a flexible scheduling framework. Copyright © 2017, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.