Patent ID: 7257451

Claim:
A method for creating a linear programming (LP) model of an industrial process facility, said method comprising the steps of: (a) using a first principles reference tool to create a non-linear reference model of said industrial process facility; (b) specifying a plurality of independent input variables and a plurality of key output variables; (c) specifying an initial value for each of said independent input variables; (d) running said reference model to determine base case values for each of said key output variables based on said initial values of said independent input variables; (e) determining partial derivatives for each of said key output variables with respect to each of said independent input variables; (f) creating a matrix at least (n+1) columns wide by at least m rows high, where “n” is the number of independent input variables and “m” is the number of key output variables, one column of said matrix containing said base case values for each of said key output variables from step (d) and the other n columns of said matrix containing said partial derivatives for each of said key output variables with respect to each independent input variable from step (e) except, optionally, those partial derivatives having a value smaller than a pre-selected minimum value; and (g) constructing a LP model of said industrial process facility, said LP model containing said matrix and being adapted to calculate the value of one or more of said key output variables from said matrix and a set of known and/or assumed values for said independent input variables.