Optimization of an electrolytic cell with use of a GRG algorithm

Recent technological improvements and changing economic factors indicate the need to apply more sophisticated and efficient optimization techniques to today's increasingly complex electrochemical processes. In this study a reduced gradient optimization scheme is applied to a model of a chloralkali cell to determine maximum profit for a single cell and to investigate the sensitivity of the optimal solution to changes in selected design variables. The model consists of 39 constraints, 37 equalities and 2 inequalities, including mass, voltage and heat balance relationships, in 40 variables. A methodology is developed that allows state-of-the-art optimization techniques to be easily applied to electrochemical cells and processes for which algebraic models can be formulated. Electrochemical systems represent a new area of application for nonlinear programming algorithms.