COOPT - a software package for optimal control of large-scale differential-algebraic equation systems

This paper describes the functionality and implementation of COOPT. This so ftware package implements a direct method with modified multiple shooting t ype techniques for solving optimal control problems of large-scale differen tial-algebraic equation (DAE) systems. The basic approach in COOPT is to di vide the original time interval into multiple shooting intervals, with the DAEs solved numerically on the subintervals at each optimization iteration. Continuity constraints are imposed across the subintervals, The resulting optimization problem is solved by sparse sequential quadratic programming ( SQP) methods. Partial derivative matrices needed for the optimization are g enerated by DAE sensitivity software. The sensitivity equations to be solve d are generated via automatic differentiation. COOPT has been successfully used in solving optimal control problems arisin g from a wide variety of applications, such as chemical vapor deposition of superconducting thin films, spacecraft trajectory design and contingency/r ecovery problems, and computation of cell traction forces in tissue enginee ring. (C) 2001 IMACS. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.