Methods of constructing models and optimizing the operating modes of a chemical engineering system for the production of benzene in a fuzzy environment

The study object: the chemical engineering system for production of benzene and optimization of the system operation modes based on modeling. An approach to the effective solution of problems of optimization of operating modes of real chemical engineering systems was proposed. Since such systems are usually multicriterial and characterized by the fuzziness of initial information, an approach to the development of their models and optimization of their operating modes in a fuzzy environment was proposed. The essence of this approach lies in the construction of mathematical models and optimization of system operation modes based on the system analysis methodology using available information of deterministic, statistical, and fuzzy nature. Statements of the problems of optimization by means of chemical engineering systems in a fuzzy environment have been obtained by modifying various principles of optimality for working in a fuzzy environment. Based on a modification of the principles of maximin and Pareto optimality, a heuristic algorithm for solving the formulated optimization problem was proposed based on the use of knowledge and experience of decision-makers. The proposed method of model construction and an optimization algorithm were implemented in practice when constructing models of benzene and rectification columns of a chemical engineering system of production of benzene when formulating and solving the problem of optimizing their operation modes in a fuzzy environment. Analysis and comparison of optimization results allow us to conclude about the effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy approach to solving optimization problems in a fuzzy environment. As a result of optimization of the benzene production process, the benzene yield increased by 1.45 thousand t or by 1.1 %, the raffinate output volume increased by 0.4 thousand t in conditions of upholding constraints on benzene quality. The proposed approach makes it possible to assess the degree of upholding of fuzzy constraints