Heat Integration as a Strategic Economic Basic Ingredient for Viable Clean Technologies: Perspective of Return on Incremental Investment

This paper introduces a systematic economic approach to evaluate the economic benefits of Heat Exchange Networks (HENs) within the framework of clean technologies and environmental policy. It emphasizes the integration of sustainability, presenting a novel metric, Return on Incremental Investment (ROII), to assess economic profitability. Through a case study of a green grass chemical facility, the economic analysis involves heat integration via mathematical programming, estimating additional capital expenditure, utility cost savings, and ROII calculation. The study underscores the pivotal role of robust economic analysis in driving sustainable economic development, especially in the domain of cleaner technologies. It highlights the importance for stakeholders and policymakers to prioritize economically viable and cleaner technologies for achieving sustainable economic development objectives. The findings offer valuable insights for industrial experts and plant managers to make informed decisions based on economic performance benchmarking. Overall, this study contributes to advancing the understanding of economic viability within the context of clean technologies and environmental policy, facilitating informed decision-making towards sustainable economic development initiatives. The results of the economic evaluation underscore the high sensitivity of ROII to changes in utility costs.