The management of oil-product pipelines represents a critical task in the daily operation of petroleum supply chains. Efficient computational tools are needed to schedule pipeline operations in a reliable and cost-effective manner. This work presents a novel discrete event simulation system for...

An efficient systematic iterative solution strategy for solving real-world scheduling problems in multiproduct multistage batch plants is presented. Since the proposed method has its core a mathematical model, two alternative MIP scheduling formulations are suggested. The MIP-based solution...

We address nonconvex mixed-integer bilinear problems where the main challenge is the computation of a tight upper bound for the objective function to be maximized. This can be obtained by using the recently developed concept of multiparametric disaggregation following the solution of a...

Generalized disjunctive programming (GDP), originally developed by Raman and Grossmann (1994), is an extension of the well-known disjunctive programming paradigm developed by Balas in the mid 70s in his seminal technical report (Balas, 1974). This mathematical representation of...

In this paper, we present the derivation of the multiparametric disaggregation technique (MDT) by Teles et al. (J. Glob. Optim., <CitationRef CitationID="CR30">2011</CitationRef>) for solving nonconvex bilinear programs. Both upper and lower bounding formulations corresponding to mixed-integer linear programs are derived using disjunctive...</citationref>

Combined heat and power (CHP) plants are widely used in industrial applications. In the aftermath of the recession, many of the associated production processes are under-utilized, which challenges the competitiveness of chemical companies. However, under-utilization can be a chance for tighter...

With advances in the synthesis and design of chemical processes there is an increasing need for more complex mathematical models with which to screen the alternatives that constitute accurate and reliable process models. Despite the wide availability of sophisticated tools for simulation,...

We propose a framework to generate alternative mixed-integer nonlinear programming formulations for disjunctive convex programs that lead to stronger relaxations. We extend the concept of “basic steps” defined for disjunctive linear programs to the nonlinear case. A basic step is an...

In this paper, we present a superstructure optimization approach for the integration of the simultaneous production of liquid fuels and hydrogen from switchgrass and shale gas. The process is based on Fischer-Tropsch technology in which the shale gas is reformed with steam, while the switchgrass...

In this paper, we optimize a process that integrates the use of glycerol to produce ethanol via fermentation within the simultaneous production of biodiesel and bioethanol from algae. The process consists of growing the algae, determining the optimal fraction of oil vs. starch, followed by oil...