Recently, the area of Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) has experienced tremendous growth and a flourish of research activity. In this article we will give a brief overview of past developments in the MINLP arena and discuss some of the future work that can foster the development of MINLP in general and, in particular, robust solver technology for the practical solution of problems. 1

The reactor network synthesis problem involves determining the type, size, and interconnections of the reactor units, optimal concentration and temperature profiles, and the heat load requirements of the process. A general framework is presented for the synthesis of optimal chemical reactor networks via an optimization approach. The possible design alternatives are represented via a process superstructure which includes continuous stirred tank reactors and cross flow reactors along with mixers and splitters that connect the units. The superstructure is mathematically modeled using differential and algebraic constraints and the resulting problem is formulated as an optimal control problem. The solution methodology for addressing the optimal control formulation involves the application of a control parameterization approach where the selected control variables are discretized in terms of time invariant parameters. The dynamic system is decoupled from the optimization and solved as a func...

Recently, the area of Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) has experienced tremendous growth and a flourish of research activity.

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