an interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

An interactive exploration environment for complex

process design

Eric S Fraga

Centre for Process Systems Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering

UCL

25 May 2010

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

The problem of design

Process design should be informed by robust optimisation with

con�dence in results to aid in insight generation.

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Cos

t (k$

/yr)

Pressure (atm)

Cost versus Pressure

Di�culties

complex non-linear, non-convex,

discontinuous & noisy models,

combinatorial search space,

small, possibly non-convex, feasible

regions,

ill- or un-de�ned objective function

and constraint equations outside

feasible regions, and

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Visualisation and interaction

Computer based tools for design and optimization are

intended for use by non-experts.

Visual representations critical for ease of use.

Interaction can enable engineer to apply own intuition.

Strategy is to combine data analytics, visualisation, and robust

(hybrid) optimisation.

Applications in energy, water, carbon capture, sustainability,

and control.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Example: Heat integrated design

Task

Identify potential

integrations for given

con�guration.

Enable process

modi�cation for

better integration.

Help engineer identify

design alternatives.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Motivation

Complex interactions which are di�cult to visualise:

0

1

R1 R2 P1 P2 P3 R3 R4 P4 $ Qh Qc

No

rma

lise

d v

alu

es

Design variables and objectives

Motivates need for design speci�c visualisation methods.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Requirements

The visualisation and interaction tool must address the

following issues

represents the underlying designs

indicates relative performance for one or more criteria

is scalable for large design spaces

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Solution: 2-d representation

Features: units represented, designs connected, scalable

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Connectivity

Procedure

discrete sampling of space

generated by �rst stage search

procedure.

connectivity represented by an

acyclic graph

edges connect neighbours based on

similarity.

neighbourhood identi�cation

algorithm is greedy so could be

improved.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Scalability

Example with 1000

design points.

Properties

current design centred.

speci�c unit highlighted.

other designs are smaller the

further away they are.

vertical position depends on

direction of design changes.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Solution: 3-d representation

Features: relative performance of designs indicated

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Interaction: Model-view-control

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Demonstration

Steps

Controller

Initial 3d view

Rotating. . .

Next point . . .

. . . and next . . .

. . . and again . . .

. . . to the best.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

3-d scalability

Steps

Initial 3d view

Rotating . . .

Next point . . .

and rotated.

Next point . . .

and rotated.

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design

Design Visualisation Conclusions

Summary

interactive M-V-C

design exploration

scalable

representation of

alternative designs

targeted design

problem visualisation

www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/�ucecesf/

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An interactive exploration environment for complex process design