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Assessing plant design with regard to MPC performance

Strutzel, FAM; Bogle, IDL; (2016) Assessing plant design with regard to MPC performance. Computers & Chemical Engineering , 94 (C) pp. 180-211. 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2016.07.007. Green open access

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Abstract

Model Predictive Control is ubiquitous in the chemical industry and offers great advantages over traditional controllers. Notwithstanding, new plants are being projected without taking into account how design choices affect the MPC’s ability to deliver better control and optimization. Thus a methodology to determine if a certain design option favours or hinders MPC performance would be desirable. This paper presents the economic MPC optimization index whose intended use is to provide a procedure to compare different designs for a given process, assessing how well they can be controlled and optimised by a zone constrained MPC. The index quantifies the economic benefits available and how well the plant performs under MPC control given the plant’s controllability properties, requirements and restrictions. The index provides a monetization measure of expected control performance. This approach assumes the availability of a linear state-space model valid within the control zone defined by the upper and lower bounds of each controlled and manipulated variable. We have used a model derived from simulation step tests as a practical way to use the method. The impact of model uncertainty on the methodology is discussed. An analysis of the effects of disturbances on the index illustrates how they may reduce profitability by restricting the ability of a MPC to reach dynamic equilibrium near process restrictions, which in turn increases product quality giveaway and costs. A case of study consisting of four alternative designs for a realistically sized crude oil atmospheric distillation plant is provided in order to demonstrate the applicability of the index.

Type: Article
Title: Assessing plant design with regard to MPC performance
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2016.07.007
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2016.07.00...
Language: English
Additional information: © 2016 Elsevier Inc. This manuscript version is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licenses are available at http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0. Access may be initially restricted by the publisher.
Keywords: Integrated process design and control; Model predictive control (MPC); Zone constrained model predictive control; Zone control; Controllability analysis; Crude oil distillation
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > VP: Research
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1508466
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