Steady-state Optimization of Modelica Models and Functional Mockup Units with Pyomo

Abstract

This paper describes two ways on how to interface Functional Mockup Units (FMUs) and Modelica models through the Pyomo’s foreign function interface with Pyomo. Pyomo is a Python-based, open-source optimization modeling language with a diverse set of optimization capabilities. Modelica has arguably much better modeling capabilities than Pyomo, but Pyomo integrates excellent optimization solvers, such as Ipopt (Wächter et al. 2006), and provides a good optimization infrastructure. The Interface has been developed in the context of a NAWI, (National Alliance Water Innovation) Hub project in collaboration with the University of Connecticut and Sandia National Labs. The optimization has been set up and tested within Modelon’s Modelica platform Modelon Impact. An unpublished, detailed multi-effect desalination plant developed by Prof. Matt Stuber in the context of (Stuber et al., 2015) has been used to demonstrate the capabilities, as well as simple test models, and design models from Modelon’s commercial Libraries.