Combining the advantages of discrete- and continuous-time scheduling models: Part 3. General algorithm

One of the main challenges in applying optimization-based scheduling techniques in process industries stems from the different process characteristics and constraints that need to be taken into account when generating a schedule. For instance, consideration of sequence-dependent changeovers may easily make the resulting optimization model computationally expensive. Accordingly, building upon the recently proposed Discrete-Continuous Algorithm (Lee and Maravelias, 2018), we propose generalized algorithm that enables accurate and fast solution of difficult instances while efficiently handling a wide range of process characteristics. The algorithm combines modeling versatility with computational tractability while guaranteeing the feasibility and accuracy of the final solution. Through a case study inspired by a real-world brewing process, we show that our algorithm provides accurate and high quality solutions to industrial-scale instances in reasonable time.