Identification of desired operational spaces via numerical methods

Abstract

Plant efficiency and profitability are becoming increasingly important and operating at the most optimal point is a necessity. The definition of proper operational bounds on output variables such as product quality, production rates etc., is critical for plant optimisation. The use of operational bounds that do not lie within the region of the output operational space of the plant can result in the control system attempting to operate the plant in a non attainable region. The use of operational bounds that lie within the bounds of the output operational space of the plant and if the output operational space is non convex can also result in the control system attempting to operate the plant in a non attainable region. This results in non feasible optimisation. A numerical intersection algorithm has been developed that identifies the feasible region of operation known as the desired operational space. This is accomplished by finding the intersection of the required operational space and the achievable output operational space. The algorithm was simulated and evaluated on a case study under various scenarios. These scenarios included specifying operational bounds that lie partially within the bounds of the achievable operational space and also specifying operational bounds that lie within the bounds of the operational space which was non convex. The results yielded a desired operational space with bounds that were guaranteed to lie within an attainable region on the output operational space. The desired operational space bounds were also simplified into a rectangle with high and low limits that can be readily used in control systems.