Interactive GUI for Multi-Criteria Chemical Process Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for multi-criteria optimization in chemical and procedural processes face challenges in reconciling conflicting requirements, such as achieving high hardness and elasticity in materials, or balancing purity and availability of reactants, often leading to overwhelming complexity for users due to numerous possible configurations.
Innovation Solution
An interactive graphical user interface (GUI) is developed to facilitate multi-criteria optimization by forming and visualizing Pareto frontiers, allowing users to interactively navigate and select optimal configurations based on multiple criteria, with features like sliders and threshold settings to represent and adjust criteria values, and determine equivalent solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multi-criteria optimization is performed with a large number of possible configurations, then the optimization comprehensiveness is improved, but the user interface complexity and difficulty of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex optimization process into distinct visualizable components: Pareto frontiers represent different configuration sets, operating aids represent individual criteria, and selectors represent specific criterion values. This segmentation allows users to navigate complex multi-criteria optimization by interacting with discrete, visual elements rather than overwhelming parameter lists, thus maintaining comprehensiveness while improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical interaction methods (manual parameter adjustment, numerical optimization) with a visual interface system where users interact with graphical representations of Pareto frontiers and criteria. This substitution of visual-mechanical interaction for numerical-mechanical interaction simplifies the user experience while preserving the mathematical rigor of multi-criteria optimization
2Reliability
If multiple configurations are considered in optimization, then the solution quality is improved, but the computational complexity and time required worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary computation to generate complete Pareto frontiers for multiple configurations before presenting them to the user. By pre-calculating and visualizing all non-dominated solutions across different configurations, the system eliminates the need for iterative computation during user interaction, thus improving solution quality through comprehensive evaluation while reducing optimization time during the actual selection process
Data Source
AI summary
The aim of the invention is to provide a procedure which enables or improves multi-criteria optimization of a chemical or procedural process. Interaction between a user and an optimization tool is to be improved as well. This is achieved by interactive navigation on a display device (10). At least a first and a second configuration (A, B, . . . Z) are available for selection, and at least a first Pareto frontier (101, . . . ) is formed for the first configuration (A) and at least a second Pareto frontier (201, . . . ) for the second configuration (B). Based on the first Pareto frontier (101, . . . ) for the first configuration (A) and the second Pareto frontier (201, . . . ) for the second configuration (B), a resulting Pareto frontier (801) is or will be formed. A first operating aid (21) and a second operating aid (22) are shown on the display device (10) in an operating area (2), with the first operating aid (21) representing a first criterion (c1) and the second operating aid (22) representing a second criterion (c2). A position or setting of a selector (21a) of the first operating aid (21) represents a value of the first criterion (c1), and a position or setting of a selector (22a) of the second operating aid (22) represents a value of the second criterion (c2). Moving or operating one of the selectors (21a, 22a) of the respective operating aid (21, 22) changes the value of the respective criterion (c1, c2). Based on the position or setting of the selector (21a, 22a), a point (zi) is determined and/or shown on the resulting Pareto frontier (801). A system, a computer program product for designing or devising the procedural or chemical process is also proposed.