USE OF PIECEWISE-LINEAR APPROXIMATIONS FOR STEADY-STATE BACK-OFF ANALYSIS

The operating point of a process is usually computed by optimizing an objective function, e.g. the profit, subject to some characteristics o f the plant. Typically, the resulting point lies in the boundary of th e operating region. Then, the presence of disturbances can easily caus e constraint violations and move the process to operate in an unfeasib le region. The purpose of this paper is to show how the operating poin t can be modified in order to keep feasibility in the process operatio n against the disturbances. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.