Optimization of Process Flowsheets through Metaheuristic Techniques

This textbook presents a general multi-objective optimization framework for optimizing chemical processes by implementing a link between process simulators and metaheuristic techniques. The proposed approach is general and shows how to implement links between different process simulators such as Aspen Plus®, HYSIS®, Super Pro Designer® linked to a variety of metaheuristic techniques implemented in Matlab®, Excel®, C++, and others, eliminating the numerical complications through the optimization process. Furthermore, the proposed framework allows the use of thermodynamic, design and constitutive equations implemented in the process simulator to implement any process. Aimed at graduate and undergraduate students, it presents introductory chapters for process simulators and metaheuristic optimization techniques and provides several worked exercises as well as proposed exercises. In addition, accompanying tutorial videos clearly explaining the implemented methodologies are available online. Also, some Matlab® routines are included as electronic supporting material.