Unit Number 1: Introduction To Chemical Engineering System Optimization

MALAWI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Unit Number 1: Introduction to chemical engineering system

optimization
1.1 Introduction
Optimization with its mathematical principles and techniques is used to solve a wide
variety of quantitative problems in many disciplines
1.2 Objectives of the unit

By the end of this unit you should be able to:
Define the nature and organization of optimization problems
Identify the cope and hierarchy of optimization
Appreciate the general methods for solving optimization problems
1.3 Basic definitions of Optimization

Optimization is the process of selecting the best course of action from the available
resources. Optimization problems are made up of three basic components: an
objective function, a set of unknowns or decision variables, and a set of constraints.
An objective function can be maximization or minimization type. In an industrial
system, decisions are to be made either to minimize the cost or to maximize the
profit. Profit maximization or cost minimization is expressed by means of a
performance index. It is the mathematical function which has to be either minimized
or maximized. For example, in a manufacturing process, the aim may be to maximize
the profit or minimize the cost. In comparing the data provided by the user-defined
model with the observed data, the objective is to determine the decision variables
that minimize the deviation between the model prediction data and the observed
data. The objective function is usually defined by taking into account the type of
optimization application.
Decision variables are the variables that engineers or managers choose in making
technological or managerial system to achieve the desired objective. Optimization has
to find the values of decision variables that yield the best values of the performance
criterion. These are the set of unknowns or variables that control the value of the
objective function. In a manufacturing problem, the variables may include the
amounts of different resources used or the time spent on each activity. For example,
in fitting the data to a model, the unknowns can be the parameters of the model
Constraints are restrictions imposed on the system by which the decision variables are
chosen to maximize the benefit or minimize the effort. A set of constraints are those
that allow the unknowns or variables to take on certain values but exclude others. For
example, in a manufacturing problem,one cannot spend negative amount of time on
any activity, so one constraint is that the ―time‖ variables are nonnegative
Optimization can also benefit the plants by means of reduced maintenance cost, less
equipment wear, and better staff utilization. It helps in planning and scheduling of
efficient construction of plants. With the systematic identification of objective,
constraints, and degrees of freedom in processes or plants, optimization leads to
provide improved quality of design, faster and more reliable trouble shooting, and
faster decision-making. It helps in minimizing the inventory charges and increases
overall efficiency with the allocation of resources or services among various processes
or activities. It also facilitates to reduce transportation charges through strategic
planning of distribution networks for products and procurement of raw materials
from different sources.
1.4 Scope for optimization

Optimization can be applied to the entire company, a plant, a process, a single unit
operation, and a single piece of equipment.
Management level: At management level, optimization helps in taking decisions
concerning to project evaluation, product selection, corporate budget, investment in
sales, research and development, and new plant construction. At this stage the
information available is qualitative and uncertain as these decisions are made well in
advance the plant design level.
Plant design level: Decisions made at this level are concerned to choice of the process
whether batch or continuous, nominal operating conditions, configuration of the
plant, size of individual units, use of flow sheeting programs, and aid of process
design simulators.
Plant operations level: Decisions at this stage include allocation of raw materials on a
weekly/daily basis, day-to-day optimization of a plant to minimize steam
consumption, cooling water consumption, operating controls for a given unit at
certain temperatures and pressures, and costs toward shipping, transportation, and
distribution of products.
1.5 Examples of Optimization process

Optimum pipe diameter for pumping fluid- One typical example is the problem of
determining the optimum pipe diameter for pumping a given amount of fluid from
one point to another. Here the amount of fluid pumped between the two points can
be accomplished by means of different pipe diameters. However, this task can be
realized by one particular pipe diameter which minimizes the total cost representing
the cost for pumping the liquid and the cost for the installed piping system as shown
in Fig. 1 From the figure it can be observed that the pumping cost increases with
decreased size of pipe diameter because of frictional effects. But the fixed charges for
the pipeline become lower due to reduced capital investment because of the use of
smaller pipe diameter. The optimum diameter is located at point E where the sum of
the pumping costs and fixed costs for the pipeline becomes a minimum.
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Figure 1: Optimization curves
Please think of practical examples of optimization and also give the variables at play.
Make sure you know at least 3 examples in detail.
1.6 General procedure of solving optimization problems

In design and operation of an engineering system, it is necessary to obtain a suitable
model to represent the system, to choose a suitable objective function to guide the
decisions, and to select an appropriate method of optimization. Once the model is
selected and the solution needed is obtainable, an appropriate method of
optimization need to be chosen to determine the information required in the
optimization problem. The following general procedure is used for the analysis and
solution of optimization problems.
1. Examine the process and identify the process variables and process characteristics of
interest. Make a list of all the variables.
2. Determine the criterion for optimization and define the objective function
involving the process variables.
3. Develop a valid model of the process or equipment relating the input and output
variables and parameters. Define the equality and inequality constraints. Identify the
dependent and independent variables and obtain the number of degrees of freedom.
4. If the problem formulation is too large, break it up in to manageable parts and
simplify the objective function and the model.
5. Apply a suitable optimization method to solve the problem.
6. Determine the optimum solution for the system. Check the sensitivity of the results
to the changes in the parameters of the problem.
2.7 How to build models
3
For convenience of presentation, model building can be divided into four phases: (1)
problem definition and formulation, (2) preliminary and detailed analysis, (3)
evaluation, and (4) interpretation application. Keep in mind that model building is an
iterative procedure. Figure 2 summarizes the activities to be carried out
Figure 2: Optimization algorithm

The model should be validated and there are numerous ways to validate the models.
Models can be written in a variety of mathematical forms. Figure 3 shows a few of
the possibilities. This section focuses on the simplest case, namely models composed of
algebraic equations, which constitute the bulk of the equality constraints in process
optimization. Emphasis here is on estimating the coefficients in simple models and not
on the complexity of the model. Selection of the form of an empirical model requires
judgment as well as some skill in recognizing how response patterns match possible
algebraic functions. Optimization methods can help in the selection of the model
structure as well as in the estimation of the unknown coefficients. If you can specify a
quantitative criterion that defines what "best" represents the data, then the model can
be improved by adjusting its form to improve the value of the criterion. The best
model presumably exhibits the least error between actual data and the predicted
response in some sense.
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Figure 3: Possible Optimization solutions
When the model is linear in the coefficients, they can be estimated by a procedure
called linear regression. If the model is nonlinear in the coefficients, estimating them is
referred to as nonlinear regression. In either case, the simplest adequate model (with
the fewest number of coefficients) should be used.
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Practise Question 1
Outline and discuss 3 Management levels of optimization
Unit Number 2: Linear Programming

2.0 Introduction
LINEAR PROGRAMMING (LP) IS one of the most widely used optimization
techniques and perhaps the most effective. The term linear programming was coined
by George Dantzig in 1947 to refer to problems in which both the objective function
and the constraints are linear (Dantzig, 1998; Martin, 1999; Vanderbei, 1999). The
word programming does not refer to computer programming, but means
optimization.
2.1 Objectives of the unit

By the end of this unit you should be able to:
 Use the simple method to solve problems in LP
 Use the graphical method to solve problems in LP
2.2 Linear Programming

A linear program (LP) is an optimization problem in which the objective function
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MALAWI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Unit Number 1: Introduction to chemical engineering system

1.2 Objectives of the unit

1.3 Basic definitions of Optimization

1.4 Scope for optimization

1.5 Examples of Optimization process

1.6 General procedure of solving optimization problems

Figure 2: Optimization algorithm

Unit Number 2: Linear Programming

2.1 Objectives of the unit

2.2 Linear Programming

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