Brief paper: Self-tuning regulator applied to a binary distillation column
Automatica (Journal of IFAC)
| Hi-index | 22.15 |
The literature abounds with papers on feedforward control of distillation columns. Few of these papers, however, discuss successful commercial applications. They are, for the most part, theoretical developments of various approaches to feedforward control or evaluation of various control models on simulated or laboratory columns. This has created a credibility gap between the control engineer and universities on one hand; and the engineers responsible for operating the columns on the other. This credibility gap is particularly disturbing when one considers that there are presently in operation in the United States and Canada more than 150 columns under feedforward control. According to the latest survey of industrial and engineering chemistry, only four of these applications have been described: one in 1964, one in 1965, one in 1968, and one in 1969. These reports provide only a portion of the history of each application. This paper presents complete documentation on three different applications of feedforward control to distillation. Since each of the columns was an operating column with control problems, ''before and after'' comparisons are made. Each case history is divided into the following parts: one, a description of the actual operating and control problems which existed. Two, a description of the analysis of the problem and design of an appropriate feedforward system. Three, implementation and startup of the feedforward system. Four, performance of the feedforward system. Five, economic evaluation of the benefits derived from the controls. The three columns described are a 200 tray superfractionator, a refinery debutanizer, and a gasoline plant depropanizer.