The Paradigm of Water and Energy Integration Systems (WEIS): Methodology and Performance Indicators

This work approaches a detailed characterization of the aspects inherent to the innovative paradigm of Water and Energy Integration Systems (WEIS). These consists in conceptual physical systems which consider all potential energy-using and water-using processes in a site, all potential recirculation of material and energy streams between these and the integration of several categories of state-of-the-art technologies. The WEIS have the ultimate aim to promote the sustainability character associated to existing installations (through the reduction of energy and water input and contaminants output). The specific characteristics of WEIS are compared to existing similar process integration methodologies and a set of performance indicators are determined, having as a basis two previous case-studies approached for the Engineering project of WEIS. The performed analysis in this work revealed that the innovative paradigm is able to constitute Engineering projects with associated sustainability promotion potential, with the possibility to be modelled with existing computational tools and not being associated to impediments in terms of the maturity and availability of constituting technologies.