On The Use of Genetic Algorithms for Parameter Identification in Anaerobic Digestion Modelling

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastewater is a very interesting option for waste valorization, energy production and environment protection. It is a complex, naturally occurring process that can take place inside bioreactors. The capability of predicting the operation of such bioreactors is important to optimize the design and the operation conditions of the reactors, which, in part, justifies the numerous AD models presently available. The existing AD models are not universal, have to be inferred from prior knowledge and rely on existing experimental data. Among the tasks involved in the process of developing a dynamical model for AD, the estimation of parameters is one of the most challenging. This paper presents the identifiability analysis of a nonlinear dynamical model for a batch reactor. Particular attention is given to the structural identifiability of the model, which considers the uniqueness of the estimated parameters. To perform this analysis, the GenSSI toolbox was used. The estimation of the model parameters is achieved with genetic algorithms (GA) which have already been used in the context of AD modelling, although not commonly. The paper discusses its advantages and disadvantages.

A Comparative Analysis Between Genetic Algorithms and Complex Nonlinear Least Squares on Electrical Impedance Characterization

This paper compares the performance of the complex nonlinear least squares algorithm implemented in the LEVM/LEVMW software with the performance of a genetic algorithm in the characterization of an electrical impedance of known topology. The effect of the number of measured frequency points and of measurement uncertainty on the estimation of circuit parameters is presented. The analysis is performed on the equivalent circuit impedance of a humidity sensor.