Development of an optiml operational planning system using an object-oriented framework for energy supply plants

An optimal operational planning system with a userfriendly interface using an object-oriented framework is developed for the purpose of determining operational strategies of energy supply plants in a simple and rational manner on personal computers. The system has the following main functions: (a) data registration, (b) plant model graphical editing, (c) automatic programming and optimization calculation, and (d) graphical representation of results. A plant model graphical editor enables an easy and flexible composition or change of plant configurations and their relevant data by using fundamental data registered in a database. Plant data composed by the editor are arranged automatically to carry out an optimization calculation, in which the operational strategy is determined so as to minimize an objective function, such as operational cost subject to energy demand requirements and other operational restraints.