Optimization in Chemical Engineering

Debasis Sarkar is currently an Associate Professor at Chemical Engineering Department of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. He received his BTech from Calcutta University, Master of Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and PhD from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, all in Chemical Engineering. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Western Ontario, Canada. Prior to joining IIT Kharagpur, he worked with ICES Singapore and HBTI Kanpur. His current research interests are in applications of process systems engineering approaches for crystallization engineering and biosystems engineering. His teaching interests include, among others, optimization techniques, instrumentation and process control, advanced heat transfer.

COURSE LAYOUT:

Week 1  :   Introduction to Optimization
(Statement of optimization problems, Classification of optimization
problems, Examples from engineering applications, Review of
linear algebra) 
Week 2  :   Optimization Problem Formulation
(Models for optimization, Optimization problems in
chemical/biochemical engineering) 
Week 3  : Basic Concepts of Optimization – I
(Continuity of functions, Unimodal and multimodal functions,
Optimality criteria for unconstrained single variable functions) 
Week 4  :   Basic Concepts of Optimization – II
(Optimality criteria for unconstrained multivariable functions,
Equality constrained problems, Lagrange multipliers, Kuhn Tucker
conditions) 
Week 5  :   Unconstrained Single Variable Optimization: Methods and
Applications
(Region elimination methods, Methods requiring derivatives:
Newton-Raphson method, Bisection method, Secant method) 
Week 6  :   Unconstrained Multivariable Optimization: Direct Search
Methods
(Simplex method, Hooke-Jeeves pattern search method, Powell’s
conjugate direction method) 
Week 7  : Unconstrained Multivariable Optimization: Gradient Based

(Cauchy’s method, Newton’s method, Marquardt method)  
Week 8  :    Introduction to Linear Programming
(Formulation of linear programming models, Graphical solution,
Linear programs in standard form) 
Week 9  :   Linear Programming: The Simplex Method
(Simplex method, Use of artificial variables, Two phase method) 
Week 10  :   Constrained Nonlinear Programming
(Penalty function method, Lagrange multiplier method) 
Week 11  :   Applications of Optimization
(Optimization of various chemical and biochemical processes) 
Week 12  :  Software Tools for Optimization

SUGGESTED READING MATERIALS:

Optimization of Chemical Processes – T. F. Edgar, D. M.Himmelblau and L. S. Lasdon, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, 2001 , Engineering Optimization: Methods and Applications - A. Ravindran, K. M. Ragsdell, G. V. Reklaitis, 2nd Edition, Wiley India, 2006  ,Engineering Optimization: Theory and Practice - S. S. Rao, 4thEdition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2009