110th Anniversary: A Generalized Nonsmooth Operator for Process Integration

This paper presents a novel, generalized method for solving resource integration problems: the nonsmooth integration operator. Compared to current approaches, such as cascade analysis or the pinch location method, the nonsmooth integration operator is generalizable to any resource, including multiple resources simultaneously. Additionally, it is uniquely able to both solve for process variables and scale moderately with the number of sources and sinks in the system, and thus is well-equipped to handle large and complex multiplant systems, easily embedded in process optimization problems, and readily extendable to new applications. The nonsmooth integration operator is a system of two nonsmooth equations per resource that describe optimal conditions for pinch-constrained resource transfer limited to a single contaminant with preclassified sources and sinks. The operators for multiple resources can be combined with process models, and the resulting equation system is solved by using new advances in nonsmoot...