Conclusion and outlook

The pinch method has already improved the energy efficiency of a significant number of industrial processes (mainly in petrochemicals). This conceptually simple method provides valuable insights for process engineers. The complexity of constraints, objectives, and the spread of numerical optimization methods have led to mathematical formulations that are more complex than the original method but retain its spirit. These algorithms, integrated into software platforms (e.g., CERES), make the methodology more accessible and allow this technique to be extended to process optimization in sectors where it had not previously been applied.

The increasingly pressing need for energy efficiency is leading to a broadening of the methodology to include non-continuous processes. In this case, the pinch method does not allow the full energy recovery potential of the process to...