Optimization of Hydrogen Distribution Network by Imperialist Competitive AlgorithmIn

Abstract

<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>In modern refineries, hydrogen is widely used for the production of</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>clean fuels. In this paper, a new method is presented in order to use</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>hydrogen more effectively in refineries. This new method is based on</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>combination of linear programming with imperialist competitive</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>algorithm (ICA) in order to optimize the hydrogen distribution</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>network. In this new approach, optimization is performed in two levels.</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>In one level the hydrogen network layout is proposed by ICA and in the</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>other level the total annual cost and utility are optimized by the linear</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>programming. Thus, the minimum cost and the optimal configuration</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>of the hydrogen distribution network are obtained. Finally, to illustrate</em> <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em>the application of this method two cases are studied.</em></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span>