An efficient method for optimal design of large-scale integrated chemical production sites with endogenous uncertainty

Integrated sites are tightly interconnected networks of large-scale chemical processes. Given the large-scale network structure of these sites, disruptions in any of its nodes, or individual chemical processes, can propagate and disrupt the operation of the whole network. Random process failures that reduce or shut down production capacity are among the most common disruptions. The impact of such disruptive events can be mitigated by adding parallel units and/or intermediate storage. In this paper, we address the design of large-scale, integrated sites considering random process failures. In a previous work (Terrazas-Moreno et al., 2010), we proposed a novel mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model to maximize the average production capacity of an integrated site while minimizing the required capital investment. The present work deals with the solution of large-scale problem instances for which a strategy is proposed that consists of two elements. On one hand, we use Benders decomposition to overcome the combinatorial complexity of the MILP model. On the other hand, we exploit discrete-rate simulation tools to obtain a relevant reduced sample of failure scenarios or states. We first illustrate this strategy in a small example. Next, we address an industrial case study where we use a detailed simulation model to assess the quality of the design obtained from the MILP model.</p

Multi-scale modeling and optimization for industries with formulated products

[ES] La tesis titulada "Multi-scale Modeling and optimization for Industries with Formulated Products" se centra en el desarrollo de modelos matemáticos y técnicas de optimización para este tipo de productos. Por un lado la tesis se focaliza en modelado de secadores con diferentes metodologías. Primero, se desarrolla un modelo cinético de secado de una una única gota. Luego, se desarrolla un modelo basado en mecánica de fluidos computacional (CFD) para los secadores y el cuál se ha validado a escala industrial. Finalmente, se desarrollan modelos basados en "data-driven" y modelos subrogados para reducir el coste computacional del modelo en CFD sin perder su nivel de detalle. Por otro lado, la tesis tiene una segunda parte donde se focaliza en el desarrollo de modelos de optimización matemática para el tratamiento de residuos y la revalorización del biogás