Dynamic Optimization of Tandem Acetylene Hydrogenation Process

In ethylene production units, the acetylene hydrogenation process converts acetylene into ethylene. However, the catalyst activity is affected by the formation of green oil impurities during the production processes. In this paper, we investigate the operational conditions of the tandem acetylene hydrogenation process and determine the optimal dynamic operation conditions to fulfill the selectivity and conversion rate requirements of the process even under the dynamic influence of green oil. To solve this dynamic optimization problem with constraints, we first utilize a discrete method to transform the problem into a finite-dimensional nonlinear programming problem. Then, we use a new differential evolution algorithm combined with an incremental encoding method to further optimize the solution to the nonlinear programming problem. We applied this method to an industrial tandem acetylene hydrogenation process and the results successfully demonstrate improvements in the overall operational efficiency.