Optimal design of a solar-grade silicon refinery incorporating a fairness approach

The present work aims to obtain an optimal design of a multi-product solar grade silicon refinery under a systematic approach, considering different equity schemes and always seeking to maximize the profit of the facility. The proposed refinery is intensified to satisfy the demands with the use of minimum resources. Our motivation is to include a fairness approach in the design and optimization process which will help to diversify production at a lower cost and with a larger profit. Evaluation under equity approaches of intensified schemes is needed to identify how convenient it is to retain conventional schemes compared to intensified ones. Products of interest to be evaluated include solar grade silicon, tetraethoxysilane at various purities (98.5%, 99.0% and 99.5% mol), silane, dichlorosilane, and monochlorosilane. The optimal profit allocation among these products is analyzed by evaluating different equity schemes (Social Welfare, Rawlsian Welfare and Nash approaches). Results show different income allocations under the equity schemes. These allocations are compared to the optimal design without equity schemes. Results show that the Nash scheme can provide fair trade-offs between the products (such as TEOS, SiH4, SiH2Cl2 and SiH3Cl) demanded by the market and the refinery's profit. •Fairness schemes in a multi-product solar grade silicon refinery were implemented.•Different fairness schemes for the intensified refinery were evaluated.•The intensification degree does not always improve the profit of the plant.•Depending on the fairness scheme, any product can meet the market demand.