Ant lion based optimization for performance improvement of methanol production

Abstract

Methanol (CH₃OH) is a versatile compound used in various industries. Catalytic reactors used in CH₃OH production are expensive due to high energy and raw material costs. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) is used to optimize CH₃OH production, but it is still lacking. Researchers use alternative strategies or modify existing ones to achieve better results. This study applied model-based optimization using an ASPEN Plus simulator and Multi-objective Ant Lion Optimization (MOALO) to address the issue. The results revealed the highest conversion and product rate, with the lowest energy cost, side product, and bare module cost, CBM. The decision variable plots indicate that the reactor’s pressure significantly affects the optimal solution. This study provides valuable insight into optimizing CH₃OH production.