Shared and practical approach to conserve utilities in eco-industrial parks

Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) is a community of manufacturing and service facilities in close proximity. These enterprises collaborate with each other for improving the social, environmental, and economic performance of the whole complex in a sustainable manner by utilizing each other's resources efficiently, and sharing facilities, services, and utilities (Boix et al., 2015; Côté & Cohen-Rosenthal, 1998; Lowe et al., 1996). Examples of such successful industrial symbiosis are Jurong Island (Singapore), Kalundborg (Denmark), and Rotterdam (Netherlands). EIPs such as Jurong Island in Singapore are interested in assessing the potential for inter-plant heat integration among its inhabitants. The aim of such an enterprise wide heat exchanger network system is to exploit the synergistic heating/cooling needs and reduce total utility costs. However, there are many practical challenges in the implementation, construction, and operation of such an enterprise wide network (Chew et al., 2013) that need to be addressed while synthesizing inter-plant heat exchange network (HEN).