Cuckoo Search: A new nature-inspired optimization method for phase equilibrium calculations

In this study, Cuckoo Search is introduced for performing phase equilibrium and stability calculations for the first time. Cuckoo Search is a population-based method that mimics the reproduction strategy of cuckoos. This meta-heuristics have been successfully used for solving some engineering design and optimization problems with promising results. However, this emerging optimization method has not been applied in chemical engineering problems including thermodynamic calculations. This study reports the application of Cuckoo Search and its modified version for phase equilibrium and stability calculations in both reactive and non-reactive systems. Performance of this nature-inspired optimization method has been analyzed using several phase stability, phase equilibrium and reactive phase equilibrium problems. Results show that Cuckoo Search offers a reliable performance for solving these thermodynamic calculations and is better than other meta-heuristics previously applied in phase equilibrium modeling.

► Cuckoo Search is applied for the global optimization of tangent plane distance function and Gibbs free energy for the first time. ► Cuckoo Search is a reliable and emerging stochastic optimization for phase equilibrium calculations. ► Cuckoo Search offers a better performance than other stochastic optimization methods for solving phase stability and equilibrium problems.