# Heat exchangers and pinch integration

Passing heat between process streams, and redesigning plants so hot and cold streams share heat.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/

Recovery and reuse · Heat to heat · No. 123

- Recovery and reuse
- Heat grade: All grades
 Recovery and reuse · Heat to heat · Foundation · Energy

One paper mill's plate heat exchanger paid for itself in under a month, by swapping heat between its own pipes.

Chart: Illustration: Heat exchangers and pinch integration

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

A heat exchanger moves heat from a stream that must be cooled to one that must be heated without letting them touch. Pinch analysis matches every such stream in a whole plant.

##### Three things to know

1. Plate exchangers have three or more times the heat transfer coefficient of shell-and-tube units, so they fit in far less space.
2. Heat saved by 12 US projects cost about USD 0.05 per therm over their lives, against gas at USD 5.66 per MMBtu.
3. Fouling remains unsolved: a review of 231 patents found it mostly handled after the fact.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Hot stream**Process fluid that must be cooled
2. 2 **Exchanger**Plates or tubes pass heat across
3. 3 **Cold stream**Feed or water that needed heating
4. 4 **Pinch design**Plant-wide matching of every hot, cold stream
5. 5 **Less fuel**Smaller boilers and cooling towers needed

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## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and thermodynamics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/rc-sci/index.md)
- [Engineering and integration](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/rc-eng/index.md)
- [Economics and contracts](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/rc-econ/index.md)
- [Impact and additionality](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/rc-impact/index.md)
- [What to track](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/tracking/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heat_exchangers/links/index.md)