(629a) IDEAS Minimization of Entropy Generation for Isothermal/Isobaric/Constant Density Reactor Networks with Bounded Utility Consumption

In this paper, a methodology for the globally optimal synthesis of isothermal/isobaric/constant density reactor networks featuring minimum entropy generation and bounded utility consumption is presented. The proposed methodology employs the Infinite DimEnsionAl State-space (IDEAS) conceptual framework, which is shown to be applicable to the problem under consideration. The IDEAS framework considers all possible reactor units, and all possible mixing and splitting interconnections among them. The resulting mathematical formulation is an infinite-dimensional program with linear constraints and a possibly non-linear nonconvex objective function to be minimized. It will be shown mathematically that, under certain conditions, entropy generation and utility consumption are functions of only the inlet and outlet stream compositions and flowrates and do not depend on the reactor network structure, as long as there exists a network able to deliver the considered outlets from the known inlets. This theoretical result provides the foundation for a graphical method that can identify the global optimum of the considered optimization, by first quantifying the reactor network’s Attainable Region (AR) and then depicting the behavior of the entropy generation and utility consumption functions within the AR. The proposed method is demonstrated on a case study. Finally, conclusions are drawn.