Initial guess of the solution of dynamic optimization of chemical processes

Numerical methods and software packages for solving dynamic optimization or optimal control problems require a suitable initial estimation of the solution. This paper focuses on problems that arise in chemical processes described by complex dynamics. We present a very simple method, based on Pontryagin's Minimum Principle, to obtain an initial guess for the solution. Our method presents numerous advantages: it is very easy to programme, it allows a wide range of problems to be addressed, the computation time is very short, the initial guess is very close to the solution and is attracted to a global minimum.