A SIMULATION APPROACH TO THE DESIGN AND OPERATION OF MULTIPRODUCT BATCH PLANTS

This paper presents a strategy for the design of multiproduct batch pl ants that permits the use of detailed dynamic models to represent the stages involved in the process. The use of base case simulations at th e decoupled solution of the modules into which the plant is decomposed yields a strategy that iterates on dynamic simulations and optimizati on steps. The merits of such a strategy are robustness, reliability, r euse and full exploitation of already developed technologies. The resu lts obtained so far are encouraging. It is possible to handle rigorous models that take into account the tradeoffs among the different decis ion variables, the stages and the products. This makes it possible to arrive at conclusions and to evaluate alternatives not approached in t he past. Different scenarios and applications of this approach are ana lysed.