Gravitational search algorithm for determining the optimal kinetic parameters of propane pre-reforming reaction

The article describes the gravitational search algorithm and its application to solve the inverse problem of chemical kinetics. It is shown that metaheuristic algorithms have become more and more popular recently. In this regard, it is logical to apply these algorithms to various optimization problems. The optimization problem is formulated on the example of solving the inverse problem of chemical kinetics. The process under study is the pre-reformation of propane into a methane-rich gas on a Ni catalyst, which is an industrially important chemical process. The article briefly describes the algorithm and its pseudocode, and then compares the performance of the gravitational search algorithm with other metaheuristic methods. The algorithm showed adequate results and was applied to solve a specific technological problem. Using this algorithm, the inverse problem of chemical kinetics was solved and the optimal values of the kinetic parameters of the reaction were found. It was proved that the model correctly described the available experimental data. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of the algorithm parameters was performed.