Operating Policies (operating + policy)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Review: Microscale methods for high-throughput chromatography development in the pharmaceutical industry

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
Sunil Chhatre
Abstract Demands within the pharmaceutical sector to cut costs and improve process efficiencies have grown considerably in recent years. Major challenges exist for companies trying to establish financially viable and robust manufacturing processes for increasingly complex therapeutics. These issues have driven the investigation of miniaturised process-design techniques by which to identify suitable operating conditions using small volumes of feed material typical of that available in the early stages of bioprocess development. Such techniques are especially valuable for the optimisation of chromatographic separations, which often represent a significant percentage of manufacturing costs and hence for which there is a pressing need to determine the best operating policies. Several methods employing microlitre volumes of sample and resin have been explored recently, which are aimed at the high-throughput and cost-effective exploration of the design space for chromatographic separations. This methodology paper reviews these microscale approaches and describes how they work, gives examples of their application, discusses their advantages and disadvantages and provides a comparative assessment of the different methods, along with a summary of the challenges that remain to be overcome in relation to these techniques. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


Dynamic optimization of the methylmethacrylate cell-cast process for plastic sheet production

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009
Martín Rivera-Toledo
Abstract Traditionally, the methylmethacrylate (MMA) polymerization reaction process for plastic sheet production has been carried out using warming baths. However, it has been observed that the manufactured polymer tends to feature poor homogeneity characteristics measured in terms of properties like molecular weight distribution. Nonhomogeneous polymer properties should be avoided because they give rise to a product with undesired wide quality characteristics. To improve homogeneity properties force-circulated warm air reactors have been proposed, such reactors are normally operated under isothermal air temperature conditions. However, we demonstrate that dynamic optimal warming temperature profiles lead to a polymer sheet with better homogeneity characteristics, especially when compared against simple isothermal operating policies. In this work, the dynamic optimization of a heating and polymerization reaction process for plastic sheet production in a force-circulated warm air reactor is addressed. The optimization formulation is based on the dynamic representation of the two-directional heating and reaction process taking place within the system, and includes kinetic equations for the bulk free radical polymerization reactions of MMA. The mathematical model is cast as a time dependent partial differential equation (PDE) system, the optimal heating profile calculation turns out to be a dynamic optimization problem embedded in a distributed parameter system. A simultaneous optimization approach is selected to solve the dynamic optimization problem. Trough full discretization of all decision variables, a nonlinear programming (NLP) model is obtained and solved by using the IPOPT optimization solver. The results are presented about the dynamic optimization for two plastic sheets of different thickness and compared them against simple operating policies. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]


Continuous Soluble Ziegler-Natta Ethylene Polymerizations in Reactor Trains, 3 , Influence of Operating Conditions upon Process Performance

MACROMOLECULAR REACTION ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2008
Marcelo Embiruçu
Abstract The behavior of continuous solution ethylene/but-1-ene polymerizations through Ziegler-Natta catalysts is analyzed, based on a previously developed mathematical model. In order to do that, dynamic simulations are carried out and process responses are analyzed as functions of process operating policies and flowsheet configuration, at conditions that resemble the actual operation of industrial sites. It is shown that system responses are highly nonlinear and very sensitive to disturbances of the operating conditions and that catalyst decay is of fundamental importance for proper understanding of process behavior. Results indicate that mixing conditions inside the reactor vessels exert a significant impact upon the final polymer quality and can be manipulated for in-line control of final resin properties. Finally, it is shown that the development of feed policies, based on the use of lateral feed streams, allows the simultaneous control of melt flow index, stress exponent and polymer density of the final polymer resin. [source]


Optimal operating policies in a commodity trading market with the manufacturer's presence

NAVAL RESEARCH LOGISTICS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010
Hui Zhao
Abstract With the help of the Internet and express delivery at relatively low costs, trading markets have become increasingly popular as a venue to sell excess inventory and a source to obtain products at lower prices. In this article, we study the operational decisions in the presence of a trading market in a periodic-review, finite-horizon setting. Prices in the trading market change periodically and are determined endogenously by the demand and supply in the market. We characterize the retailers'optimal ordering and trading policies when the original manufacturer and the trading market co-exist and retailers face fees to participate in the trading market. Comparing with the case with no trading fees, we obtain insights into the impact of trading fees and the fee structure on the retailers and the manufacturer. Further, we find that by continually staying in the market, the manufacturer may use her pricing strategies to counter-balance the negative impact of the trading market on her profit. Finally, we extend the model to the case when retailers dynamically update their demand distribution based on demand observations in previous periods. A numerical study provides additional insights into the impact of demand updating in a trading market with the manufacturer's competition. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010 [source]


Optimization of Fed-Batch Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Using Dynamic Flux Balance Models

BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 5 2006
Jared L. Hjersted
We developed a dynamic flux balance model for fed-batch Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation that couples a detailed steady-state description of primary carbon metabolism with dynamic mass balances on key extracellular species. Model-based dynamic optimization is performed to determine fed-batch operating policies that maximize ethanol productivity and/or ethanol yield on glucose. The initial volume and glucose concentrations, the feed flow rate and dissolved oxygen concentration profiles, and the final batch time are treated as decision variables in the dynamic optimization problem. Optimal solutions are generated to analyze the tradeoff between maximal productivity and yield objectives. We find that for both cases the prediction of a microaerobic region is significant. The optimization results are sensitive to network model parameters for the growth associated maintenance and P/O ratio. The results of our computational study motivate continued development of dynamic flux balance models and further exploration of their application to productivity optimization in biochemical reactors. [source]


Application of local and global particle swarm optimization algorithms to optimal design and operation of irrigation pumping systems,

IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE, Issue 3 2009
M. H. Afshar
stations de pompage; conception et exploitation; optimisation par essaims particulaires locale et globale Abstract A particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used in this paper for optimal design and operation of irrigation pumping systems. An irrigation pumping systems design and management model is first introduced and subsequently solved with the newly introduced PSO algorithm. The solution of the model is carried out in two steps. In the first step an exhaustive enumeration is carried out to find all feasible sets of pump combinations able to cope with a given demand curve over the required period. The PSO algorithm is then called in to search for optimal operation of each set. Having solved the operation problem of all feasible sets, the total cost of operation and depreciation of initial investment is calculated for all the sets and the optimal set and the corresponding optimal operating policy is determined. The proposed model is applied to the design and operation of a real-world irrigation pumping system and the results are presented and compared with those of a genetic algorithm. Two global and local versions of the PSO algorithm are used and their efficiencies are compared to each other and that of a genetic algorithm (GA) model. The results indicate that the proposed model in conjunction with the PSO algorithm is a versatile management model for the design and operation of real-world irrigation pumping systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Un algorithme d'optimisation par essaims particulaires (PSO en anglais) est employé dans cet article pour la conception et l'exploitation optimale des systèmes d'irrigation avec pompages. Un modèle de conception et de gestion du système est d'abord présenté et ensuite résolu avec le nouvel algorithme PSO. La solution du modèle est effectuée dans deux étapes. Dans la première étape une énumération exhaustive est effectuée pour trouver toutes les combinaisons possibles de pompes capables de répondre à une courbe de demande donnée pendant la période souhaitée. L'algorithme d'optimisation par essaims particulaires est alors utilisé pour rechercher la gestion optimale de chaque ensemble. Ayant résolu le problème de gestion de toutes les combinaisons possibles, le coût d'exploitation et d'amortissement de l'investissement initial est calculé pour chacune et la combinaison optimale et sa stratégie de gestion optimale est déterminée. Le modèle proposé est appliqué à la conception et l'exploitation d'un système irrigué réel et les résultats sont présentés et comparés à ceux d'un algorithme génétique. Deux versions globales et locales de l'algorithme PSO sont employées et leurs efficacités sont comparées entre eux et avec celles d'un modèle à algorithme génétique. Les résultats indiquent que le modèle proposé associé à l'algorithme d'optimisation par essaims particulaires est un modèle souple pour la conception et l'exploitation systèmes irrigués réels avec pompage. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


RESERVOIR OPERATION ANI EVALUATION OF DOWNSTREAM FLOW AUGMENTATION,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 3 2001
Mahesh Kumar Sahu
ABSTRACT: Operation of a storage-based reservoir modifies the downstream flow usually to a value higher than that of natural flow in dry season. This could be important for irrigation, water supply, or power production as it is like an additional downstream benefit without any additional investment. This study addresses the operation of two proposed reservoirs and the downstream flow augmentation at an irrigation project located at the outlet of the Gandaki River basin in Nepal. The optimal operating policies of the reservoirs were determined using a Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) model considering the maximization of power production. The modified flows downstream of the reservoirs were simulated by a simulation model using the optimal operating policy (for power maximization) and a synthetic long-term inflow series. Comparing the existing flow (flow in river without reservoir operation) and the modified flow (flow after reservoir operation) at the irrigation project, the additional amount of flow was calculated. The reliability analysis indicated that the supply of irrigation could be increased by 25 to 100 percent of the existing supply over the dry season (January to April) with a reliability of more than 80 percent. [source]


Modeling the operation of multireservoir systems using decomposition and stochastic dynamic programming

NAVAL RESEARCH LOGISTICS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006
T.W. Archibald
Abstract Stochastic dynamic programming models are attractive for multireservoir control problems because they allow non-linear features to be incorporated and changes in hydrological conditions to be modeled as Markov processes. However, with the exception of the simplest cases, these models are computationally intractable because of the high dimension of the state and action spaces involved. This paper proposes a new method of determining an operating policy for a multireservoir control problem that uses stochastic dynamic programming, but is practical for systems with many reservoirs. Decomposition is first used to reduce the problem to a number of independent subproblems. Each subproblem is formulated as a low-dimensional stochastic dynamic program and solved to determine the operating policy for one of the reservoirs in the system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006 [source]