A multi-parametric programming approach for combined flexibility, availability, and resilience in process design

Abstract

Process systems are perpetually vulnerable to disruptions from within and outside the system, as well as to uncertainties in operating parameters, all of which may adversely affect system performance. Incorporating resilience in the conceptual process design stage allows for the integration of various correlated design goals such as flexibility, availability, and ability to quickly recover during disruptions. In this work, a methodology based on the flexibility analysis is presented that provides a path to quantifying the ability of a proposed design to manage uncertainties and disruptions through a Combined Flexibility-Availability-Resilience Index (CFARI). This metric represents the likelihood that a design is feasible given the desired flexibility, availability, and resilience goals. The proposed method systematically explores the feasible space as described by the process constraints, uncertainties, and relevant disruptions through multi-parametric programming to determine this likelihood. Given a range of possible values for design variables, the CFARI can be correlated with design variables and then applied to a design optimization formulation to represent the resilience objective. Through this method, resilience is considered holistically through integration with flexibility and availability, and trade-offs with other objectives in the design stage can be explored. Case studies involving different process systems are presented to illustrate the applicability of the CFARI as a resilience metric.