Optimal design of pre-fermentation and fermentation stages by the applying the non linear programming

ALBERNAS CARVAJAL, YAILET; VIATSHESLAV KAFAROV; CORSANO, GABRIELA; GONZALEZ CORTES, MEYLIN; GONZALEZ SUAREZ, ERENIO

Congreso; 8th International Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environmental Systems; 2013

The present work is about the optimal design of pre-fermentation and fermentation operations to ethanol production, applying the basic concepts of batch systems, based on the development of a new superstructure model. The plant type was proposes according with the production structure, confirming that this process, behaves as a sequential jobshop plant. The zero wait is the best transfer rule for these stages, due to the need to ensure the quality of these operations, given its nature and the characteristics of microbiological sugary substrates tend to decompose over time. From the overall proposed model the optimal configuration of the stages, the number of devices in each one, the volume of each equipment, and the optimal total production are obtained. This model applies the resulting mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP), which is solved for the Professional Software, General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) version 23.5 with the application of CONOPT Solver, which are scheduled all balances, constraints and models. The optimal scheduling of pre-fermentation and fermentation stages was obtained with a minimum production cost and these results were compared with the structures in conventional distillery.