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Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system

Bibliography: leaves 136-139.

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Main Author: MacRosty, R D M
Other Authors: Swartz, Chris
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Chemical Engineering 2014
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access_status_str Open Access
author MacRosty, R D M
author2 Swartz, Chris
author_browse MacRosty, R D M
Swartz, Chris
author_facet Swartz, Chris
MacRosty, R D M
author_sort MacRosty, R D M
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description Bibliography: leaves 136-139.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7686 Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system MacRosty, R D M Swartz, Chris Chemical Engineering Bibliography: leaves 136-139. An industrial problem has been posed involving the determination of the optimal scheduling and sequencing of a batch process system. The plant incorporates both batch and continuous units and is further complicated by the existence of a nonlinear relationship between the processing rate and the lot size in the continuous plant. The primary goal of this project is to investigate the application of a rigorous mathematical approach to determine the optimal operating policy of a complex processing system. In broad terms, scheduling involves the allocation of a limited number of resources to ensure the completion of a set of tasks, in an optimal way. The problem is formulated as a mathematical model through the use of mixed-integer programming. The difficulty associated with this type of work is in describing the plant using constraints to develop a mathematical model which both accurately reflects the plant and renders the problem solvable. The model must incorporate the connectivity of the plant and prevent resource-task allocation conflicts. A survey of the pertinent literature has been conducted and is reviewed in Chapter 2. Here the principles of batch scheduling are addressed. The focus of the literature review is on the formulation of such problems into a mathematical representation. A description of two fundamentally different approaches for the formulation of short-term scheduling problems is presented. Other aspects of the review include the commercially available software used in the solution of these problems, campaign planning and on-line scheduling. The work in this thesis initially focuses on the scheduling of a simplified version of the industrial plant. The simplified version consists exclusively of batch processing units. The motivation for this was to develop a formulation which incorporated the unique characteristics of the full problem but was computationally easier to solve. A number of scenarios were conducted which show both the flexibility of the formulation and the ability of the formulation to reschedule tasks when faced with different operating conditions. In the discussion of these scenarios, issues such as the computational efficiency and the implications of the results are addressed. The next step was to add a continuous plant upstream to the simplified batch process. The continuous plant exhibits a nonlinear relationship between the processing rate and the efficiency of operation. An approximation of the non-linearity is proposed and further scenario studies are carried out. Finally, the full problem is tackled but due to the great computational expense required to solve the problem an alternative method is proposed. This method is based on a series of random-type scenarios, which serve as an alternative as well as benchmark to the solutions obtained via rigorous optimization. 2014-09-25T08:49:18Z 2014-09-25T08:49:18Z 2000 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7686 eng application/pdf Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Chemical Engineering
MacRosty, R D M
Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
title_full Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
title_fullStr Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
title_full_unstemmed Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
title_short Optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
title_sort optimal scheduling of an integrated batch and continuous process system
topic Chemical Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7686
work_keys_str_mv AT macrostyrdm optimalschedulingofanintegratedbatchandcontinuousprocesssystem