Optimal Allocation of Fully Actuated Energy Systems in Gas-to-Methanol Processes

Optimal allocation plays a crucial role in improving the production efficiency and economic benefits in gas-tomethanol processes. This paper proposes a mathematical model for a fully actuated energy system in a gas-to-methanol process to optimize gas and steam energy allocation. First, mechanism models are established based on the physical mechanisms of each piece of equipment, including the desulfurization, air separation, syngas compressor, and steam boiler. And a genetic algorithm is employed to identify the unknown parameters of these models. Second, an optimization problem for the energy system is established, aiming to minimize the energy losses from both gas and steam. This is done while considering operation constraints, including equipment capacities, energy balance, and the coupling relationships. Case studies using Aspen Hysys-based simulations support and validate the effectiveness of the mathematical model.