Dynamic optimal analysis of a novel cascade membrane methanol reactor by using genetic algorithm (GA) method

The potential of a novel cascade membrane methanol reactor (CMMR) in the presence of catalyst deactivation has been investigated by Rahimpour and Bayat [Int J Energy Res 34(15):1356–1371, 2010]. In the present paper, this novel configuration is optimized using genetic algorithm strategy, dynamically. In the first approach, optimum inlet molar flow rate, the inlet pressure of the tube and shell side for both reactors, the temperatures of feed (cooling gas) and cooling saturated water have been obtained within their practical ranges. In the second approach, a stepwise trajectory has been followed in order to determine the optimal profiles for saturated water and gas temperatures in three steps during operation. The objective of each optimization case is to maximize the methanol production rate. Here, genetic algorithms have been used as powerful methods for optimization of complex problems. The optimization results represent 19.67 and 25.63 % enhancement in the methanol production for first and second optimization approaches, respectively.

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