Modelling and simulation of energy consumption of ceramic production chains with mixed flows using hybrid Petri nets

Ceramic production chain consisting of discrete flow and continuous flow energy-intensive processes consumes substantial amounts of energy. This study aims to evaluate energy consumption performance and energy-saving potentials of the ceramic production chain. According to the energy consumption characteristics of manufacturing processes and process interaction constraints in a ceramic production chain, an approach integrating the first-order hybrid Petri net (FOHPN) model, an objective linear programming model and a sensitivity analysis is proposed. The FOHPN model will simulate the energy consumption patterns of the ceramic production chain. Meanwhile, multi-objective linear programming model and sensitivity analysis will suggest the optimal specific energy consumption (SEC) of the production chain and identify the influences of input parameters (i.e. production rate of a process) on the SEC in the optimal production scheme. Finally, a real case study from bathroom ceramic plant validates the approach. It provides a tool for modelling and simulation of energy consumption of ceramic production chains with mixed flows and helps operators to perform energy-saving actions in the ceramic enterprise.