Selective hydrogenation of methylacetylene and propadiene in an industrial process: A multiobjective optimization approach

An industrial selective hydrogenation process for methylacetylene (MA) and propadiene (PD) that is mainly composed of two hydrogenation reactors, a separator drum, and a recycle design is presented. According to the specific requirements on the product yield as well as degree of MAPD removal, the optimal operating strategy depends on multiple conflicting objectives for the MAPD conversion and the propylene (PP) selectivity. For the multiobjective optimization algorithm subject to prescribed process constraints, the Pareto-optimal solution is obtained via the fuzzy-based membership function and two-phase procedure. Finally, the simulation shows that the desired operating condition regarding ratios of H₂ to MAPD at each reactor and the recycle ratio is determined.