1. Proposed by

Mark Davidovich KATS, born in 1937, higher education, specialist in applied mathematics, Sc.D., academician of the Ukrainian Technological Academy and Ukrainian Academy of Ecology, corresponding member of International Academy of Computer Sciences and Systems.

Home address: Ukraine, Lugansk region, 349940 Severodonetsk, Donetskaya street, build.37, apart.24, Tel: (380-6452) 30875, E-mail: root@ixt.lg.ua (Kats M.D.).

2. Project name

Development of software package: "Technological Audit Of Operating Plants".

3. Application field.

Operating production plants in chemical, petrochemical, biotechnological, metallurgical, chemical and pharmaceutical and other industries.

4. Proposal Description.

Technological audit is a formalized procedure evaluating potentialities of operating plant performance improvement based on economic and environmental criteria which can be implemented by process condition optimization using existing equipment and existing information support and control systems.

Operating plant performance analysis showed that most of them, especially those involved in periodic (cyclic) processes in chemistry, metallurgy, biotechnology etc., are not operating in optimum conditions and their economic, ecological and technological figures can be significantly improved. Source data required for the audit are gained during normal operation. These data are tabulated. Each line in the table describes one implementation of the process under study and contains data about actual values of the output variable chosen as optimization criterion (as well as values of other output figures which are of interest) and raw material feed figures.

Under implementation it is understood:

- In cyclic process: procedure ( information about input/output variable values in the period from raw material feed to ready product output);

- In continuous process: information about input/output variable values during operation in steady conditions.

TECHNOLOGICAL AUDIT ALGORITHM

4.1 Feasibility evaluation of improvement of output variable chosen as optimization criterion.

4.1.1 Switching to measurements of chosen optimization criterion Ya in discrete scales. To do this, Ya value range from experimental data table is divided using specified boundary value Ya band into two subranges: "good" and "bad". It is assumed that the same boundary will be specified during subsequent process optimization.

After each criterion value in each table line is assigned a discrete estimation, set of table lines is divided, respectively, into 2 subsets: "good" (Y=1) and "bad" (Y=0).

A complex criterion is formed similarly: if each particular criterion of the line under consideration meets specified limits, then Yk=1 ("good"); if at least one of them does not meet these limits, Yk=0 ("bad").

Selection of Ybnd is dependant on requirements to mathematical model adequacy. Computer simulation showed that optimum control synthesis using mosaic model is correct if experimental data contain at least 25-30% of "good" results.

4.1.2 Since before optimization Ya criterion values vary in Ya min - Ya max range and after optimization in "good" value subrange only, absolute improvement of output variable due to optimization is defined as difference in mean value (Ya mx) in "good" and in all (Ya m) table lines. Relative change of output variable (r) after optimization is defined, respectively, according to the formula: rYa = [(Ya mx - Ya m)/Ya m]*100%

4.1.3 Technological audit algorithm also includes formulas for correct estimation of:

possibility of consumption rate cut for each raw material;

changing output variable values not used as optimization criteria (which are not included in the specified complex criterion);

possibility of reducing those consumption rates, initial data for calculation of which are not registered in each process implementation;

possibility of production waste reduction if they are not registered in each process implementation.

5. Advantages over analogs.

We have not found similar approaches in the literary sources available.

6. Potential users.

Potential users of software package "TECHNOLOGICAL AUDIT OF OPERATING PLANTS" may be companies producing chemical, petrochemical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical products etc.

7. Extent of finalization.

Technological audit methodology is proved and widely used by Severodonetsk research and production enterprise "METROKOM" in their practical work, by closed-end stock company "Severodonetsk ORGHIM", by Institute of Chemical Technology and Industrial Ecology (Rubezhnoye).

Thus, for instance, at Krivorozhsky metallurgical complex "KRIVOROZHSTAL" in 1996 there was carried out a technological audit with the purpose of evaluating expected optimization effect by various criteria (yield by loaded iron, coke consumption, cast iron production cost).

In the table below there are given comparative data showing production reserves (cutting of production cost/ ton of cast iron, improvement of cast iron yield based on iron loaded and expected annual earnings) which could be mobilized by optimization of blast furnace N 5 on different optimization criteria.

Production reserves on Different optimization Criteria Optimization criteria Cast iron yield based on Fe Coke consumption Production cost. Production cost Reduction ($/t of cast Iron) Annual effect 2.91 $ 1 800 000 5.318 $ 3 300 000 6.376 $ 3 960 000.Cast iron yield increase, % Annual effect 3.1 % $ 2 890 000 1.8% $ 1 690 000 2% $ 1 870 000Total annual effect $ 4 690 000 $ 4 990 000 $ 5 830 000

In 1993 there was carried out stage by stage audit of all major production units at Belgorod Vitamin Plant which allowed to achieve increased output of vitamin A by 29%, vitamin B1 by 25%, vitamin B2 by 33%, ascorbic acid by 24% through optimization only, practically without any additional costs. We made estimation of additional profit that could be gained due to optimization on the criterion "target product yield" and showed that optimization payback in vitamin production doesn’t exceed one month.

As a result of implementation of process condition optimization recommendations at one stage only (riboflavin production) in vitamin B2 production at unit N 5, product yield increased by 3.8% which permitted to increase annual output of the vitamin by 63 t x 0.038 = 2.394 t per year. Additional profit at vitamin price 5310 rubles/kg was 5310000 rubles. Cost of optimization research work in the amount of 480000 rubles paid back in 14 days.

At Rubezhnoye Production Association "Krasitel" (Rubezhnoye, Lugansk region) we made feasibility estimation of output increase and of additional profit that could be gained due to optimization on the criterion "target product output" at operating production units producing dyes and pigments:

- thioindigo bright rose Æ, bottoms golden yellow ÆÕ, indigo, thioindigo red C, bromindigo, pigment red azomethine and others;

- intermediate products of: paraaminophenol, 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene, dina-acid, sodium salt of 1,8-sulfonic acid cyanide of naphthalene, benzothiazole, oxytinaphthene, benzenesulfoamide, acemidofene, 3,4-dichlorpropiophenone, N-ethyl-N-betacyanethylaniline, 2-oxy-1- naphthaaldehyde, diketone, 1,2-phenylenediamine, 1-chlor-2-naphthol, benzenesulfomide, sodium salt of phenylacetic acid and others;

- products: iramine, bleach 35-3, unsaturated polyester resin ÏÍ-1, polyester Ï7, plasticizer ÄÎÔ, thermal stabilizer H-1, preparation ÎÏÏ 11-62 and others.

It was shown, that existing processes have reserves of output increase for many products practically without any additional costs. For instance, output in iramine production can be increased by 8.2%, in production of sodium salt of 1,8-sulfonic acid cyanide of naphthalene - by 8.6%, in production of 1-chlor-2-naphthol, dina- acid, acemidofene - by 8,5%, 7,4% and 5,4% respectively.

After optimization of production process of unsaturated polyester resin ÏÍ-1 it was established that research work payback was 2.5 months.

8. Proposal protection

Technological audit methodology is not protected.