Optimizing the Energy Efficiency of a Local Process of Multistage Drying of a Moving Mass of Phosphorite Pellets

Abstract

A rapid heuristic computational algorithm for optimizing the energy and resource efficiency of a local process of multistage drying of a moving mass of phosphorite pellets was developed. The algorithm is distinguished by the use of heuristic computational procedures and heuristic rules of the iterative construction of a vector criterion of the efficiency of the chemical and energy engineering system. The criterion takes into account the energy consumption cost and the pellet quality indicators using both special barrier functions for deterministic constraints on control process variables (feed velocity and temperature of the carrier gas), and penalty functions for state variables of a local drying process (temperature gradient, heating rate, moisture content, moisture-transfer rate in pellets, temperature of the carrier gas at the outlet of the vertical multilayer pellet packing). Using the developed algorithm and software package, the scientifically grounded, optimal in energy consumption and dried pellet quality, operating conditions in local zones of drying of a travelling grate machine were determined.