Dynamic ‘back-off’ analysis: Use of piecewise linear approximations

The operating point of a process is usually computed by optimizing an objective function, e.g. the profit, subject to some plant characteristics. Typically, the resulting point lies on the boundary of the operating region. At this point, the presence of disturbances can easily cause constraint violations and make the process move to the unfeasible region. Then, it is necessary to move the operating point away into the feasible region by considering the effect that the expected disturbances will have on the operation of the plant. The purpose of this paper is to present an efficient algorithm to modify the operating point in order to keep feasibility (both in steady-state and along transitory) in the process operation against the disturbances.