화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.45, No.17, 5955-5970, 2006
Optimal process design and effective plantwide control of industrial processes by a simulation-based heuristic approach
Integration of process design and control has been receiving growing interest recently to reap both economic and operational benefits. In this work, a sequential approach consisting of two stages and combining rigorous nonlinear simulation with heuristics is proposed for integrated design and control of industrial processes. In the first (i.e., design) stage, several alternatives are systematically generated and ranked based on economics. A few top-ranked alternatives from the design stage are then forwarded to the second (i.e., control) stage for further analysis on their dynamics to determine the best process that is economical as well as easy to operate. Nonlinear simulation is combined with heuristics for realistic analysis in each stage. A new measure - namely, dynamic disturbance sensitivity - is proposed and used to assess the dynamic performance of process designs and control structures. Application of the proposed approach to the hydrodealkylation of toluene to produce benzene is described in detail. The dynamics of the most economical process alternative are found to be inferior to those of slightly less economical alternatives, which highlights the need for plantwide studies on the interaction of design and control.