Optimal temperature policy for immobilized enzyme packed bed reactor performing reversible Michaelis-Menten kinetics using the disjoint policy

The optimal temperature policy that maximizes the time-averaged productivity of a continuous immobilized enzyme packed bed reactor is determined. This optimization study takes into consideration the enzyme thermal deactivation with substrate protection during the reactor operation. The general case of reversible Michaelis-Menten kinetics under constant reactor feed flow rate is assumed. The corresponding nonlinear optimization problem is solved using the calculus of variations by applying the disjoint policy. This policy reduces the optimization problem into a differential-algebraic system, DAE. This DAE system defines completely the optimal temperature-time profiles. These profiles depend on the kinetic parameters, feed substrate concentration, operating period, and the residence time and are characterized by increasing form with time. Also, general analytical expressions for the slopes of the temperature and residual enzyme activity profiles are derived. An efficient solution algorithm is developed to solve the DAE system, which results into a one-dimensional optimization problem with simple bounds on the initial feed temperature. The enzymatic isomerization of glucose into fructose is selected as a case study. The computed productivities are very close to that obtained by numerical nonlinear optimization with simpler problem to solve. Moreover, the computed conversion profiles are almost constant over 90% of the operating periods, thus producing a homogeneous product. (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Inc.