Simulation based Optimization of the Control of a Waste Heat Boiler during an In-House Control Seminar
Educating chemical engineers for coming challenges
Chemical Engineering Education -Poster Session (T6-P)
Keywords: process control education, continuing education, in-house education
Many control loops in the process industry are not operated in an optimal manner. Their optimization requires an interdisciplinary system analysis in which process engineering and control engineering knowledge must be combined.
Due to the education of staff, the required engineering knowledge is distributed amongst several persons. Thus, intensive and efficient communication is needed. However, the communication may be hindered, if qualified staff is working in several different departments.
In a joint project the Hochschule Bremen and the arcelor Bremen GmbH developed a new concept of an in-house training for the continuing education of control and chemical engineers. The aim of the course in the form of a workshop was to develop the skills for a systematic process analysis by the efficient use of the in-house competences in control and process technology.
During the workshop under the leadership of an external moderator team a group of six engineers from different departments worked on the optimization of the control of a waste heat boiler as a case study. In the modern steelwork of the arcelor Bremen GmbH waste heat boilers are needed to make efficient use of waste heat for vapour production. A major technical problem is the complex dynamic of the process.
The system analysis was guided by the moderators and performed in parallel to the development of a mathematical process model, that enabled a real time simulation of the process. Thus, the model reflected the process and control engineering knowledge about the boiler to the participants in form of a real time simulator. The simulator was realized using the simulation and process control software WinErs of the Ingenieurbüro Dr.-Ing. Schoop GmbH, Hamburg. The verification of the process model and the simulator behaviour was based on real data.
Subsequently, a controller design was performed in the group, again guided by the moderators. The developed control strategy was tested and implemented in three steps. First, it was applied to the simulator using the process control functionality of WinErs. In the second step a Siemens PLC (S7) was programmed and again tested using the real-time simulator. In the third step the PL-controller was coupled to the real process. It is now working on the process since several months with very good success.
The trainees in the workshop learned to communicate efficiently about interdisciplinary control problems. They also learned to develop control strategies systematically on the basis of a system analysis by using mathematical modelling and simulation.
Eventually, an important control loop was optimized during the in-house training.
It is planned to implement this type of in-house training into the arcelor Bremen programme of continuing education on a permanent basis.
Presented Monday 17, 13:30 to 15:00, in session Chemical Engineering Education -Poster Session (T6-P).
