Heat Recovery in a Pasta Factory. Pinch Analysis Leads to Optimal Heat Pump Usage.

In the previous issue of the IEA Heat Pump Centre Newsletter (Vol, 12, No.3, pp. 29-31), an article by these authors described the use of pinch analysis (also known as pinch technology) in a buildings application. This article describes a similar procedure for integrating a heat pump into a pasta production process. Many industrial processes, and particularly those dealing with drying, are characterized by an overabundance of low- grade heat which often cannot be efficiently recovered by means of simple heat exchangers. Heat pumps thus represent the primary means of upgrading the energy of moisture loaded streams into useful process energy. Powerful process integration tools based on pinch analysis allow the assessment of the heat recovery options and will lead to the optimal use of heat pump technology.