Run-to-run Optimization for Fed-batch Fermentation Process with Swarm Energy Conservation Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

An iterative optimization strategy for fed-batch fermentation process is presented by combining a run-to-run optimization with swarm energy conservation particle swarm optimization (SEC-PSO). SEC-PSO, which is designed with the concept of energy conservation, can solve the problem of premature convergence frequently appeared in standard PSO algorithm by partitioning its population into several sub-swarms according to the energy of the swarm and is used in the optimization strategy for parameter identification and operation condition optimization. The run-to-run optimization exploits the repetitive nature of fed-batch processes in order to deal with the optimal problems of fed-batch fermentation process with inaccurate process model and unsteady process state. The kinetic model parameters, used in the operation condition optimization of the next run, are adjusted by calculating time-series data obtained from real fed-batch process in the run-to-run optimization. The simulation results show that the strategy can adjust its kinetic model dynamically and overcome the instability of fed-batch process effectively. Run-to-run strategy with SEC-PSO provides an effective method for optimization of fed-batch fermentation process.

Method of Soft-Sensor Modeling for Fermentation Process Based on Geometric Support Vector Regression

The soft-sensor modeling for fermentation process based on standard support vector regression(SVR) needs to solve the quadratic programming problem(QPP) which will often lead to large computational burdens, slow convergence rate, low solving efficiency, and etc. In order to overcome these problems, a method of soft-sensor modeling for fermentation process based on geometric SVR is presented. In the method, the problem of solving the SVR soft-sensor model is converted into the problem of finding the nearest points between two convex hulls (CHs) or reduced convex hulls (RCHs) in geometry. Then a geometric algorithm is adopted to generate soft-sensor models of fermentation process efficiently. Furthermore, a swarm energy conservation particle swarm optimization (SEC-PSO) algorithm is proposed to seek the optimal parameters of the augmented training sample sets, the RCH size, and the kernel function which are involved in geometric SVR modeling. The method is applied to the soft-sensor modeling for a penicillin fermentation process. The experimental results show that, compared with the method based on the standard SVR, the proposed method of soft-sensor modeling based on geometric SVR for fermentation process can generate accurate soft-sensor models and has much less amount of computation, faster convergence rate, and higher efficiency.

Differences and relations of objectives, constraints, and decision parameters in the optimization of individual heat exchangers and thermal systems

Performance improvement of heat exchangers and the corresponding thermal systems benefits energy conservation, which is a multi-parameters, multi-objectives and multi-levels optimization problem. However, the optimized results of heat exchangers with improper decision parameters or objectives do not contribute and even against thermal system performance improvement. After deducing the inherent overall relations between the decision parameters and designing requirements for a typical heat exchanger network and by applying the Lagrange multiplier method, several different optimization equation sets are derived, the solutions of which offer the optimal decision parameters corresponding to different specific optimization objectives, respectively. Comparison of the optimized results clarifies that it should take the whole system, rather than individual heat exchangers, into account to optimize the fluid heat capacity rates and the heat transfer areas to minimize the total heat transfer area, the total heat capacity rate or the total entropy generation rate, while increasing the heat transfer coefficients of individual heat exchangers with different given heat capacity rates benefits the system performance. Besides, different objectives result in different optimization results due to their different intentions, and thus the optimization objectives should be chosen reasonably based on practical applications, where the inherent overall physical constraints of decision parameters are necessary and essential to be built in advance.