ABSTRACT
The interest in batch process modeling and optimization in the chemical industry has increased during the last years in response to the requirements of increasingly competitive markets. Typically, batch processes are considered as a process alternative:
• If a high-value product is produced at a low volume • If there are large market-driven fluctuations in the demand or short
product life-cycles • If flexibility with respect to product grades, volume, and quality is
required • If technical difficulties such as long residence times, multiphase sys-
tems, or fouling are significant
Batch processes are characterized by some distinct features. Various products are often produced in the same plant. The process units and their connections to a plant may change with time. Often, the intermediate products are stored in buffer tanks and are processed (sometimes after blending) in the same but possibly reconfigured plant or in a different plant. The operation of batch processes is defined by some recipe that allocates processing tasks to process equipment and
defines a sequence of time-varying controls, which are continuous and discrete in nature. The high flexibility of batch processes can only be fully exploited if design and operational decision making are supported by advanced modeling and optimization techniques.
