ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview on algebraic modeling systems and their application in chemical engineering. Algebraic modeling systems are a class of computational modeling tools that are mainly oriented for the development of optimization models. One important characteristic of these systems is the representation of the model using a mathematical modeling notation using algebraic equations, which provides great šexibility in modeling. This šexibility has enabled the application of algebraic modeling systems in many different areas, namely, agricultural economics, engineering, ’nance, management science and operations research, contract theory, economic development, power systems, energy economics, and energy markets, among others. In chemical engineering, they have also been applied in many application areas, for example, process optimization, process synthesis, planning and scheduling of plant operations, and supply chain design and operation. Chemical engineers have a long tradition of building equation models based on ’rst principles for the simulation and optimization of chemical processes, which has contributed to the development of computational tools for the systematic simulation and optimization of chemical processes design and operation. Examples of these computational tools include process simulators, either sequential based modular or equation oriented, software that targets speci’c processing applications, modeling systems, and spreadsheets. Speci’c examples of these computational tools are described in other chapters of this book. However, modeling systems include gPROMS [1], ASCEND [2], and the object-oriented modeling language Modelica [3].
