Role of multiplicity in reactive distillation control system design

The impact of steady-state multiplicities on the control of a simulated industrial scale methyl acetate reactive distillation (RD) column is studied. At a fixed reflux rate, output multiplicity, with multiple output values for the same reboiler duty, causes the column to drift to an undesirable steady-state under open loop operation. The same is avoided for a fixed reflux ratio policy. Input multiplicity, where multiple input values give the same output, leads to “wrong” control action under feedback control severely compromising control system robustness. A new metric, rangeability, is defined to quantify the severity of input multiplicity in a steady-state input–output (IO) relation. Rangeability is used in conjunction with conventional sensitivity analysis for the design of robust control structures for the RD column. Results for the two synthesized control structures show that controlling the most sensitive reactive tray temperature results in poor robustness due to low rangeability causing “wrong” control action for large disturbances. Controlling a reactive tray temperature with acceptable sensitivity but larger rangeability gives better robustness. It is also shown that controlling the difference in the temperature of two suitably chosen reactive trays further improves robustness of both the structures as input multiplicity is avoided. The article brings out the importance of IO relations for control system design and understanding the complex dynamic behavior of RD systems.     

Two-point control of a reactive distillation column for composition and conversion

Reactive distillation is a hybrid process with dual process objectives: reactant conversion and product composition. Control schemes for reactive distillation frequently neglect the effect of the principal operating parameters on the reactant conversion, and this has a detrimental effect on the overall process profitability. An ETBE reactive distillation column has been used as a case study to show how a two-point control configuration, which recognises the importance of both composition and conversion, can be developed and implemented for a reactive distillation process. The combined composition and conversion control configuration was tested using SpeedUp dynamic simulations and proved to be effective in maintaining a high isobutylene conversion despite process disturbances. The two-point control scheme also had superior disturbance rejection capability, especially for feed rate changes, and composition set-point sensitivity compared with a one-point control scheme.     

基于Aspen Plus用户模型的MTBE反应精馏模拟

采用用户模型技术,运用Fortran语言编写反应动力学子程序,并将其嵌入Aspen Plus精馏过程中,从而在Aspen Plus平台实现了MTBE反应精馏过程的动力学模拟,结果表明,所建用户模型MrBE反应精馏塔内温度、液相组成分布模拟值较好地吻合了文献值。以MTBE收率及纯度作为目标函数,研究了精馏塔相关参数改变对目标函数的影响,得到的优化条件分别如下:操作压力为1100 kPa,回流比为6,甲醇进料位置为第10块板,反应段塔板数为8块,此时MTBE收率为95.53%,纯度为99.2%。     

模拟甲基叔丁基醚反应精馏的过程

为揭示反应精馏过程的耦合特性,从而为进一步开发新的反应精馏设计方法提供理论支持,采用Gibbs自由能平衡级模型,应用Aspen Plus软件模拟分析MTBE的反应精馏过程,研究了回流比与理论板数对反应和分离效果的影响。结果表明由于反应和精馏的相互作用,在固定回流比改变理论板数(或固定理论板数改变回流比)的情况下,存在最佳理论板数(或回流比)使产品组成最高,这种特性与普通精馏有所不同。     

Nonlinear model-based control of a batch reactive distillation column

The inherent trade off between model accuracy and computational tractability for model-based control applications is addressed in this article by the development of reduced order nonlinear models. Traveling wave phenomena is used to develop low order models for multicomponent reactive distillation columns. A motivational example of batch esterification column is used to demonstrate the synthesis procedure. Tight control of the column is obtained with the use of reduced model in a model predictive control algorithm.     

A geometric approach to multivariable control system design of a distillation column

A multivariable control problem of a distillation column is considered, where the object is to maintain two output variables, the compositions of the distillate and the bottom product at some desired values by manipulating the reflux flow rate and the boil-up rate.Based on a linearized model, a geometric approach is applied to the design problem of disturbance rejection control. In other words, a feedback control strategy is desired which enables the complete rejection of the effect of disturbances on both output variables.In obtaining the feedback control, the problem of how many and what state variables are to be measured and fed back has been made clear. In this control strategy, only five state variables are fed back. Thus, only five columns of the feedback gain matrix have non-zero values. Furthermore, two out of these five columns are uniquely determined, and the other three columns can be assigned arbitrary values and used for pole assignment of the controlled system.For the disturbances in composition and flow rate of the feed stream, Δx_F and ΔL_F, the effect of the disturbance Δx_F is completely rejected by the feedback controller, but the effect of the disturbance ΔL_F can only be eliminated from the output Δx_D.A digital simulation of a distillation column composed of nine plates, a condenser and a reboiler was carried out to confirm these results and to show that the linearized model used in this paper is valid for fairly large step changes.     

Pattern-based predictive control for ETBE reactive distillation

Synthesis of ethyl tert-buty ether (ETBE), a high-performance fuel additive, through reactive distillation (RD) is an attractive route, while its operation and control are exceptionally difficult due to its functional combination and complex dynamics. Modern control technology greatly relies on good process models, while a reasonable RD model is too complex for control design. Moreover, RD contains considerable uncertainties that cannot be well described in process modelling. Alleviating the model requirement, this work aims to maintain the product purity in RD of ETBE through developing a pattern-based predictive control (PPC) scheme. Process dynamics, control structure, nonlinear transformation, feature pattern extraction, and pattern-based prediction and its incorporation with a conventional linear controller are discussed. Case studies show the effectiveness of the proposed method     

Experimental investigation of conventional control strategies for a heterogeneous azeotropic distillation column

In this work, a laboratory scale sieve plate distillation column was constructed to investigate the conventional control strategies of an isopropyl alcohol (IPA), cyclohexane (CyH) and water (H₂O) heterogeneous azeotropic distillation column. Steady state process analysis showed that the optimal operation point should be located at a critical reflux, a transition point at which the distillation path switches from a route that passes through IPA+H₂O azeotrope to one that passes through IPA+CyH azeotrope. At this critical reflux, a high purity IPA product can be obtained with minimum energy consumption and maximum product recovery. However, the steady state is extremely sensitive to feed disturbances. A good control strategy must be able to maintain a steady column temperature profile that shows a plateau near 70°C to ensure passage around IPA+CyH azeotrope. In this study, an inverse double loop control strategy is recommended. Through experimental testing, the proposed control strategy was demonstrated to keep the product IPA purity at the desired high-purity level under all feed disturbance changes while other conventional control strategies fail.     

Model predictive control of reactive distillation for benzene hydrogenation

Benzene hydrogenation via reactive distillation is a process that has been widely adopted in the process industry. However, studies in the open literature on control of this process are rare and seem to indicate that conventional decentralized PI control results in sluggish responses when the reactive distillation column is subjected to disturbances in the feed concentration. In order to overcome this performance limitation, this work investigates model predictive control (MPC) strategies of a reactive distillation column model, which has been implemented in gPROMS. Several MPCs based upon different sets of manipulated and controlled variables are investigated where the remaining variables remain under regular feedback control. Further, MPC controllers with output disturbance correction and, separately, with input disturbance correction have been investigated. The results show that the settling time of the column can be reduced and the closed loop dynamics significantly improved for the system under MPC control compared to a decentralized PI control structure.     

Dynamics and control of benzene hydrogenation via reactive distillation

This work develops a dynamic, first principles-based model of a reactive distillation column used for benzene hydrogenation of a reformate stream and investigates different control structures for this process. The model is used initially to develop and evaluate a feedback control strategy which provides good regulatory performance for small disturbances, however, it tends to be sluggish for significant disturbances in the feed composition. In order to address this point, adding a feedforward controller to the feedback structure has also been investigated. However, the feedforward controller can only be implemented if composition measurements of the feed are taken. As online composition measurements are expensive in practice, several different scenarios have been investigated where samples of the feed are taken and subsequently analyzed in a lab, as represented by measurement time delays. Simulation results show that adding feedforward control to the feedback scheme can be very beneficial for this process, however, this is only the case if the composition disturbance measurements do not involve a significant time delay.     

Control of reactive distillation production of high-purity isopropanol

The process characteristics and control strategy of a high-purity IPA reactive distillation column were investigated. A robust nominal operation was found by maintaining an excess of propylene feed to the column and recycling the unreacted propylene to the feed instead of the top stage. Stage temperature and propylene composition with one-to-one relationship with reboiler duty and propylene feed are selected as controlled variables for maintaining bottom purity and feed ratio in the presence of possible measurement bias respectively. High nonlinearity between selected input–output pair was reduced by using variable transformation. Dynamic simulations demonstrated that such a control scheme with nonlinear transformed variable was capable of providing much superior control performance than the one using natural variable.     

Nonlinear control of a reactive distillation column

Control of reactive distillation columns is a challenging task due to the complex dynamics arising from the coupling of reaction and separation. In this paper, asymptotically exact input/output-linearization is applied in simulation studies to an industrial reactive distillation column which is operated by Bayer AG. The resulting control law is rather general and can be easily adopted for other reactive distillation columns. This control scheme requires knowledge of the complete state of the process and therefore an observer is designed. Asymptotically exact input/output-linearization inherits robust stability from a robust observer. It is intuitively argued that the proposed observer is robust w.r.t. both model structure and parameter errors. In order to compensate for steady state observer offsets an outer control loop with simple PI-controllers is implemented. Simulation studies evidence that in comparison with a well-tuned linear controller the nonlinear controller shows a superior performance with respect to setpoint-changes and disturbances, even in the presence of unknown input delays.     

基于塔板组成线的反应精馏图解设计

图解设计法,可以相对较少的已知数据快速、直观地获得反应精馏塔的结构和操作参数。本文在转换组成变量的基础上,系统地推导了反应精馏塔板组成线方程及设计可行性判据,提出了基于塔板组成线进行反应精馏图解设计的策略,并对理想反应体系进行了实例设计计算。研究结果表明：利用塔板组成线进行反应精馏设计可同时获得多组可行设计方案,比现有精馏线和剩余曲线设计方法更为有效,并有利于设计的优化和经济效益评价。     

Control of reactive distillation process for production of ethyl acetate

In this paper, plant-wide control for the production of ethyl acetate using reactive distillation is studied. Four important issues are considered in developing control schemes, including: (1) economics; (2) steady-state deviation of key product purities; (3) controllability in terms of degree of oscillation and settling time; and (4) feasible region of disturbances for effective control. Starting with two basic control schemes that have been studied before, new control schemes are developed to improve the operability of the process. These new control schemes have evolved from the basic schemes by making a trade-off between optimal design and control or by selecting sensor locations using closed-loop sensitivity analysis. It is found that, while being subjected to fluctuations in the composition of the acid feed or in the production flow-rate, sensor location based on traditional open-loop sensitivity causes a larger overshoot and steady-state deviation of key product purities. Sensor location on the basis of a closed-loop sensitivity analysis provides a better alternative for feedback control. The resulting scheme for control is found to be effective in reducing the steady-state deviation and in promoting good control performance.     

Plant-wide design and control of acetic acid dehydration system via heterogeneous azeotropic distillation and divided wall distillation

Energy-saving plant-wide design and plant-wide control of an acetic acid dehydration system with the feed containing methyl acetate and p-xylene are investigated in the study. A heterogeneous azeotropic distillation using isobutyl acetate as an entrainer is designed to obtain high-purity acetic acid at the column bottom and to keep a small acetic acid loss through the top aqueous draw. The accumulation of p-xylene in the column is avoided by adding a side product stream. The mixture in the aqueous phase of decanter, containing mostly water, methyl acetate, and isobutyl acetate is separated using a divided wall distillation column. The whole acetic acid dehydration system includes a heterogeneous azeotropic distillation column and a divided wall distillation column.The control strategies using temperature loops are proposed for this acetic acid dehydration system. For the heterogeneous azeotropic distillation column, the requirements for acetic acid compositions in both the aqueous phase of the decanter and the column bottom can be satisfied by designing entrainer inventory temperature control and cascade temperature control simultaneously. The stages of controlled temperatures are chosen by singular value decomposition and closed-loop analysis methods based on the criteria of minimum entrainer makeup. For the divided wall distillation column, steady-state analysis methods are used for the selection of proper controlled and manipulated variables and the determination of their pairings. Dynamic simulation results demonstrate that the proposed plant-wide control strategy can maintain product purities and reject external disturbances in feed flow and composition changes as well as internal disturbances such as changes in liquid and vapor splits.     

Application of predictive control techniques to a distillation column

Model-based predictive control techniques are widely recognized as having useful application to control problems characterized by complex dynamics and severe time delay. The establishment of a representative process model is the key step in the procedure and for anything other than trivially simple systems is a major hurdle. This paper describes the application of predictive control techniques to a distillation problem which embodies a pure time delay of 2–3 h and time constants of 3–4 h. A sampled-data process model is identified from monitored input/output data and from this a predictive control algorithm is designed. The application of the controller has resulted in very effective closed-loop control of the base composition of the distillation column, where previously only manual supervision was possible.     

乙酸丁酯反应精馏过程模拟设计

反应精馏偶合了反应和精馏两种单元操作,通过精馏促进反应,可以提高反应转化率和收率,为可逆反应的化工过程生产提供了新的设计途径。基于严格热力学分析计算,利用计算机模拟和优化手段。提出了乙酸丁酯反应精馏、分离纯化的生产流程。采用UNIQUAC方程表征乙酸-正丁醇-乙酸丁酯-水四元非理想体系的汽液平衡,首先,根据实验数据回归了热力学模型中的交互作用参数,并预测了体系中5个共沸物组成,模型的计算结果与实际数据吻合。基于平衡级模型,提出了由平衡反应器、反应精馏塔、倾析器和纯化塔构成的可行流程,对提出的设计流程进行了模拟、优化,得到了操作工艺参数。模拟结果对工业过程的设计和改造具有一定的指导意义。     

精馏塔多通道对角矩阵解耦控制仿真

在化工生产中,许多单元操作的控制涉及至少2个被控变量,因此产生至少2个以上的控制回路。在该类具有多个控制回路的多变量控制系统中,同一被控对象上的多个控制回路,在实现其各自的控制目标时,将发生相互作用和相互影响。精馏塔是化工等行业中广泛使用的高耗能分离设备,为满足工艺要求和节能,需将塔顶和塔底产品流控制在设计值,即双成分控制。通常,利用回流量和加热量作操纵变量分别控制塔顶和塔底产品的组成。不过,回流量的变化也会影响塔底产品的组成,加热量的改变也会影响塔顶产品的组成。当采用温度作为反映产品组成的间接指标时,塔顶和塔底温度控制回路具有强烈的耦合作用,会导致系统不稳定。一个简单有效的方法就是解出耦合,因此,本文先介绍了一种基于对角矩阵的温度解耦控制方案,并在MATLAB/Simulink平台进行了控制仿真。结果显示:与两个独立PID回路控制相比,对角矩阵解耦控制不仅能达到更优的控制效果,还具有极强的对象特性鲁棒性。     

Globally linearized control system design of a constrained multivariable distillation column

The goal of this paper is to develop a discrete-time multivariable globally linearized control (GLC) algorithm, which provides low computational requirements with constraint handling ability. The control strategy is constructed with four elements: a transformer that accounts for process nonlinearities; an estimator, which observes the required unmeasured states; a variable constraint mapping optimizer that transforms the input constraints of the nonlinear process into constraints on the manipulated inputs of the globally linearized system and a quadratic dynamic matrix controller (QDMC) that provides constraints handling ability. The effectiveness of the designed controller has been tested on a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear distillation column through extensive numerical simulations. The control law showed a high quality performance for set point tracking and disturbance rejection in presence of parametric uncertainty. The effect of unmeasured disturbance also has been studied through the simulation experiment. In the comparative study, the proposed GLC-QDMC control technique outperformed the GLC-DMC control law.