An efficient decomposition algorithm for a weighed process.

Abstract

Considering the computation load of process simulation, it is necessary to assign a weight to each stream of a chemical process. Therefore, tearing criteria for the weighed process are proposed, which minimize the number of cut streams (cycle intervals) first and then search for an alternative stream with the minimum weight for each detected cycle interval. Based on them, an efficient decomposition algorithm is then developed, with two parts. One is to detect the cycle interval, using the weighed reachable vector method. The other is to determine the cut stream for each cycle interval through three indispensable procedures (searching, judging and regulating). After searching out an alternative stream with minimum weight, judging is carried out by verifying whether the detected cycle interval is broken or not. Then regulating is implemented by modifying the local weighed adjacency matrix. These three procedures are repeated until the stream with minimum weight is got. Finally, the optimal cut-set is obtained.Four test problems are examined. The proposed algorithm finds the minimum weighing sum for all these problems under the minimum number of cut streams.