Title: Applications of Optimization in the Continuous Processing Industry

The continuous processing industries include petroleum, chemicals, and some areas of industries such as mining, food processing and pharmaceuticals. My experience has been that many people that work optimization algorithm development and supply chain technologies are much more familiar with the discrete manufacturing industries then the continuous processing industries. In this presentation, I will first describe some of the unique features of the continuous processing industry from an operational viewpoint and then illustrate a number of the interesting and unique optimization problems that arise due to these unique operations.
Short Biography:
David R. Heltne, Business Team Manager, Supply Chain Planning and Scheduling Dept., Shell Global Solutions (US), Inc, Westhollow Technology Center, PO Box 4327, Houston, TX 77210.
Dave Heltne has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa. While in grad school and several years after, he taught operations research and engineering design optimization in the Industrial Engineering Department at Iowa. He joined Shell Development in 1980 and after several company changes (while in the same office), he is currently a supply chain consultant for Shell Global Solutions working primarily on supply chain processes. His work with Shell has concentrated on use of computer models for decision support applications using optimization and simulation technologies. These tools have been used in a wide variety of applications ranging from refinery planning and scheduling development and implementation, technology selection models, financial models, plant design, rail system design and supply chain applications. Customers included the Shell Pension Trust, E&P, Environmental Engineering, Shell Chemicals and Shell Oil Products.
Since the Shell Oil US technical organizations joined Shell Global Solution, Inc in mid-2002, Dave has been the US Business Team Manager in the Supply Chain Planning and Scheduling Department.