Thermo-economical Optimization of Sugar Plants with Environmental Constraints

COLOMBO, MAURICIO A.; MELE, FERNANDO DANIEL; HERNÁNDEZ, MARÍA R.; GATICA, JORGE; LUZ SILVEIRA, JOSÉ

Ubatuba, Brasil

Congreso; 8th Latin-American Congress: Electricity Generation and Transmission; 2009

Fundação para o Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

The development of new techniques that allow the analysis and optimization of energy systems bearing in mind environmental issues is indispensable in a world with finite natural resources and growing demand of energy. Within this frame, thermo economical optimization gradually is taking importance as a powerful tool to assist to the decision making process. Also, in this work it is used the technique of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) which allows to consider environmental matters as an integral part of the problem, in opposite to most of the environmental approaches that only reduce residuals generation , without taking into account impacts associated to other related processes. The system under study is a sugar plant of Tucumán (Argentina) given its particular importance for the regional economy of the Argentinean Northwest, so an efficient use of a common fuel to meet demands on useful heat, shaft power and electricity must be made.