Design and Planning Optimization of Multiplant Complexes in the Food Industry

CORSANO, GABRIELA; MONTAGNA, JORGE; AGUIRRE, PÍO

Trans IChemE, Part C, Food and Bioproducts Processing

Institution of Chemical Engineers

Año: 2007 vol. 85 p. 381 - 388

0960-3085

In food industry, the multiplant complexes are very common because residuals from one plant might eventually become raw material for others or several plants can use the same raw material or power resource that come from a plant inside the complex. The integration problem between several plants that produce different products and share diverse resources among them poses significant challenges. In this work, a detailed non linear programming (NLP) model for the design of a multiplant complex is developed considering the integration between the plants simultaneously with the optimal operation and production planning of each plant of the Multiplant Complex (MC). The simultaneous optimization establishes different trade-offs between design, operation, and production planning decision which are analyzed in this paper. As usually happen in food industry, the raw materials availability, product prices, demand and other seasonal matters can vary through the production horizon time. For this reason, a multiperiod model is presented in which designing and planning decisions have to be adjusted to the seasonal scenario posed. Different cases are presented which correspond to different operative conditions. For each case a detailed analysis of each plant design, operation and production planning, and for the whole integration is made. The paper reports interesting solutions like sub-occupied units, different allocation of raw materials and inoculum amounts, and trade-offs between diverse variables.