Optimal input strategy for plug and play process control systems

This paper considers the problem of optimal operation of a plant, which goal is to maintain production at minimum cost. The system considered in this work consists of a joined plant and redundant input systems. It is assumed that each input system contributes to a flow of goods into the joined part of the plant where the commodities (outputs) are produced. A profit function with a certain regular structure is defined for such a plant. Then the profit is maximized subject to tracking of a given reference production. The work shows whether a new input ought to be included in the system to improve the performance of the plant. The results are applied to a coal fired power plant where an additional new fuel system, gas, becomes available.