A new approach to optimizing energy systems
Flow-sheet programs used for the design of power plants become more meaningful with use of optimization possibilities. As the power plant is considered to be a black-box for an optimization routine, many evaluations of the plant efficiency, as a function of the chosen parameter (or parameters), have to be considered. As optima are often in a flat part of the efficiency curve, as a function of the parameters, a disturbance in the calculation might lead to no found optimum at all for the optimization routine. Two calculation routines are compared to operate with the program Cycle-Tempo: a Quasi-Newton and a Derivative Free optimization routine. From these two the latter experienced to be the most stable, although the former can be improved compared to the way it is in use now.
optimization flow-sheets power plants combined cycle steam cycle