AN INTEGRATED DESIGN STRATEGY FOR FLOW-INJECTION ANALYSIS BASED ON THE COUPLING OF MATHEMATICAL-MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS

A methodology to design a flow- injection system with optimized perfor mance characteristics for different experimental requirements is prese nted which requires minimal experimental effort. Departing from basic experimental knowledge of the hydrodynamic parameters and rates of the reactions involved, the coupling of a mathematical model describing t he flow system with the Powell's optimization algorithm allows the aut omated generation of a complete set of flow- injection configurations, each of them being optimal with respect to its objective function. Fr om this set of configurations, the performance of the flow- injection system is easily visualized, allowing the user to select the system th at better suits the requirements of his particular application and exp loiting the potentiality of multiple flow- injection optimal configura tions.