Dynamic Optimization of Uv Flash Processes

UV flash processes, also referred to as isoenergetic-isochoric flash processes, occur for dynamic simulation and optimization of vapor-liquid equilibrium processes. Dynamic optimization and nonlinear model predictive control of distillation columns, certain two-phase flow problems, as well as oil reservoirs with significant compositional and thermal effects may be conducted as dynamic optimization of UV flash processes. The dynamic optimization problem involving a UV flash problem is formulated as a bilevel optimization problem. This problem is solved using a gradient based single-shooting method. The gradients are computed using the adjoint method and different off-the-shelf optimization software (fmincon, IPOPT, KNITRO, NPSOL) are used for the numerical optimization. Computational results are reported for a flash process involving benzene, toluene and diphenyl. The computational experiments demonstrate that the optimization solver, the compiler, and high-performance linear algebra software are all important for efficient dynamic optimization of UV flash processes.