Steady state process optimization of an electric flash clay calcination plant

This paper presents a study on the determination of the optimal steady states of an industrial electric flash clay calcination plant. Such a process is relevant in the context of sustainable cement production. By deploying electrical heating, CO₂-free calcined clay can be produced, which can substitute some of the traditional limestone-based cement clinker. By using a nonlinear model of the plant, the optimization problem is formulated to minimize energy consumption, while maximizing the production rate of calcined clay and ensuring a specified quality requirement. The optimal manipulated variables, for each clay feed or power set-point, are computed as solution of the problem, and presented in the results. The numerical solution of the problem is obtained using a hybrid approach, that combines global optimization with gradient-based methods. Steady state optimization enables the development of process control and real-time optimization.