Análise e otimização do desempenho de trocadores de calor na indústria cervejeira

Abstract

The chemical industry has shown a growing interest in the use of more economical and efficient heat exchangers, particularly plate heat exchangers. This preference is directly linked to the pursuit of improvements in industrial processes, optimization of operational costs, and implementation of sustainable measures for energy consumption. In this work, the implementation of a simplified model of a heat exchanger was described, using the Nelder-Mead optimization method developed in Python software, to adjust parameters aiming to obtain outlet temperatures of the wort and water close to those obtained in the cooling process. The results of applying this model demonstrated a satisfactory fit compared to the data obtained in an industrial process with a plate heat exchanger. The average error between the inlet and outlet temperatures in the actual cooling process, when compared to the adjusted temperatures, was less than 1°C.