Fast robust optimization of ORC based on an artificial neural network for waste heat recovery

Uncertainty in the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system and the highly complex ORC models pose challenges to optimal operation. A data-driven robust parametric optimization for the ORC system is proposed to ensure high and stable performance under uncertainty. The uncertainty of the cyclic variables is estimated by their distribution parameters, and the average (expected) thermodynamic performance (the net output power of the ORC) is maximized as the optimization objective while minimizing its variance. An artificial neural network with the rectified linear unit is used as a surrogate model for optimization. Then the robust parametric optimization problem can be transformed into a mixed-integer linear optimization problem with a chance-constrained form, and the robust optimal solution can be solved quickly. Case studies show that the solution time of the robust optimization problem using the proposed method is about 1.4 s, which is much less than obtaining the optimal solution based on ORC mechanism models. Meanwhile, the optimal operating condition derived by the proposed robust optimization approach outperforms that obtained by the traditional deterministic strategy. The proposed approach not only improves the robustness of the system but also demonstrates the importance of considering uncertainty in parametric optimization.