Eureka! Institutional Repository

In this thesis work, the process simulator SuperPro Designer (by Intelligen Inc.) was used in order to design and model industrial utility systems with the objective being the costing of these utilities and the investigation of the factors that affect their cost. More specifically, a closed-loop cooling water system and a steam generation facility were designed. When calculating the operating cost, only the costs of energy, make-up water and fuel were taken into account. For the closed-loop cooling water system, it was found that the operating cost is affected by the temperature and moisture of the ambient air used in the cooling tower, and the percentage of water losses due to evaporation or intentional discharge of water to avoid accumulation of salts. More specifically, as the temperature and moisture of the ambient air and the water losses increase, the operating cost for producing cooling water is also increased. For the closed-loop steam generation and use facility, it was found that the factors that affect operating cost is the steam pressure and, as in the cooling water case, the percentage of water losses. The cost is higher as the steam pressure and the water losses increase. The prototypical flow diagrams that were developed in this work can be used for an estimation of the operating cost of an industrial utility plant in any facility under any operating conditions if the input data (such as steam pressure, ambient air temperature and humidity) are properly changed within the models.