Fuzzy-Based Optimization of Evaporation Process in Sugar Industries

Among various unit operations in a sugar industry, the evaporation process is the most energy consuming one. The process of evaporation is highly complex and its dynamics is very much nonlinear in nature. The optimzation of evaporation process is a matter of deep interest due to its correlation with energy consumption and quality of sugar. In this paper, an optimization technique has been proposed making combined use of Taguchi technique and fuzzy logic. Modelling of a quadruple effect evaporator has been performed in MATLAB for which data collected from sugar industry has been utilized. A single objective function has been evaluated for optimization using the integrated fuzzy Taguchi approach. Optimized values of three evaporator parameters, i.e. feed temperature, flow rate of steam and flow rate of feed are determined which satisfy the objective function. Relative contribution of each of these parameters is evaluated using ANOVA technique.