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Process Control of an Open Plate Reactor

Authors:Haugwitz Staffan, Lund Institute of Technology, Lund University, Sweden
Hagander Per, Lund Institute of Technology, Lund University, Sweden
Topic:6.1 Chemical Process Control
Session:Control of Complex Processes
Keywords: heat exchange reactor, process control, mid-ranging, Model Predictive Control, Extended Kalman filter

Abstract

A new chemical reactor, the Open Plate Reactor, is being developed by Alfa Laval AB. It combines good mixing with high heat transfer capacity. With the new concept, highly exothermic reactions can be produced using more concentrated reactants. A utility system to provide the reactor with cooling water is designed and experimentally verified. The utility temperature controller is based on a mid-ranging control structure to increase the operating range of the hydraulic equipment. A Model Predictive Controller is proposed to maximize the reaction yield under hard input and state constraints. Simulations show that the designed process control system gives high reaction yield and ensures that the temperatures inside the reactor do not exceed a pre-defined safety limit.