Pinch Analysis Framework for Techno-Economic Assessment of Energy-Water Systems Considering the Energy-Carbon–Water Nexus

Global challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, and rising energy demands are deeply interconnected, and traditional single-resource management approaches often lead to inefficiencies, higher costs, and increased environmental burdens. To address these issues, this study develops a techno-economic framework for designing integrated energy-water systems within the energy-carbon–water (ECW) nexus. The framework enhances pinch analysis (PA) by establishing minimum energy, water, and carbon emissions targets and couples these with three financial metrics, namely, the life cycle cost (LCC), payback period, and net present value (NPV), to evaluate long-term economic feasibility. A case study demonstrates that the nexus-based design achieves substantial improvements over a baseline system, including a 29% reduction in outsourced electricity, 15% lower carbon emissions, and a 37% reduction in LCC. Strategy-specific modifications further improve economic performance, yielding an 83% shorter payback period and conversion of NPV from negative to positive. By integrating systematic resource targeting with holistic economic evaluation, this framework provides a practical engineering tool for the design and deployment of sustainable ECW systems, enabling cost-effective and low-carbon industrial operations.