PI: Panagiotis D. Christofides Institution: University of California at Los Angeles Proposal Number: 0002626
The objective of this research project is to develop a general and practical framework for integrated optimal design and control of distributed chemical processes, able to increase the efficiency, improve the product quality, and reduce the environmental impact of these processes. The motivation for the research is provided by: (a) the many nonlinear distributed chemical processes, including transport/reaction (e.g., tubular reactors, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems) and particulate (e.g., crystallizers, emulsion polymerization and aerosol reactors) processes; (b) the need for optimal design and operation of these processes in order to minimize energy consumption and cost, achieve tighter performance specifications, and meet environmental and safety regulations; and (c) the lack of an integrated framework for design and control of distributed chemical processes, especially those that will minimize energy use.
The research is to provide a fundamental understanding of the nature of the model reduction, optimization and control of distributed chemical processes. Projects to be done include: (a) the development of computationally efficient and accurate algorithms for solving steady-state and dynamic optimization problems for transport/reaction and particulate processes based on fundamental models; (b) the selection of optimal locations for control actuators and measurement sensors in transport/reaction processes and spatially-inhomogeneous particulate processes; and (c) the use of the developed methods to optimally design and operate tubular reactors, plasma-enhanced CVD processes and aerosol processes.
