An embedding formulation for the optimal scheduling and design of multi-purpose batch plants

Abstract: "This paper presents a new formulation for the optimal design of multipurpose batch plants in which not all products require the same processing equipment. In order to circumvent the combinatorial problem of selecting the product grouping for the optimal schedule, a superstructure representation is proposed that can be modeled as a multiperiod optimization problem. For most cases this problem can be condensed into a merged formulation that is similar to the problem of optimal design of multiproduct batch plants. The proposed method is very efficient as it requires the solution of a single MINLP problem. Two numerical examples are presented."