Preemptive dynamic operation of cryogenic air separation units

As markets become more competitive and dynamic, manufacturing plants are undergoing transitions toward flexible, agile, and low costs operations. Appropriate coordination within the supply chain is an important factor in manufacturing systems' performance. In this study, the impact of preemptive control action in advance of an upcoming demand change on the economic performance of a cryogenic air separation unit is investigated. The effects of various factors are explored through optimization formulations utilizing a high‐fidelity collocation based dynamic process model. This includes the amount of lead time, choice of manipulated inputs, direction of demand change, and liquid product market conditions. Plant performance is evaluated and analyzed through a comprehensive multipart case study. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J , 63: 3845–3859, 2017