Artículo

The pinch analysis technique circumvents the drawbacks of local optima in the design of production processes and determines energy targets from a systemic design perspective. It has now evolved into a comprehensive methodology for process industry integration. As research deepens in traditional industrial domains, the exploration of applications in emerging fields is gradually expanding. However, solely relying on the analysis and summarization within a singular domain is insufficient for driving broader applications across diverse fields. Therefore, this paper discusses the pinch analysis techniques across various fields, from energy exchange networks to mass transfer networks. By examining their technical principles and categorizing method types, different technologies are horizontally compared, and their key characteristics are revealed. Subsequently, this paper explores future development directions and imminent challenges of the pinch analysis technique in power systems, aiming to offer new perspectives for expansion and to address existing issues such as load balance analysis, planning rationality, and reliability assessment in power systems.