Integrated Modeling and Optimization for Ethylene Production Processes Coupled with the Utility System

Ethylene production is primarily concerned with improving economic benefits. Modeling and optimization of ethylene production processes are challenging due to their complexity and coupling with the utility system. In existing approaches, utility system interactions are not considered, which could result in suboptimal solutions. This paper presents a new modeling and optimization framework for integrating production processes with utility systems by recovering superhigh-pressure steam from the cracking process. A data-driven model based on industrial and software-generated data is used in conjunction with an existing mechanism model for simplifying complex process engineering and reducing the optimization difficulty. The case study shows that this methodology increases the profit by 5%. Sensitivity analysis confirms sufficient stability to withstand market fluctuations.