Dynamics and Predictive Control of Gas Phase Propylene Polymerization in Fluidized Bed Reactors

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, Volume 21, Issue 9, September 2013, Pages 1015–1029
Dynamics and Predictive Control of Gas Phase Propylene Polymerization in Fluidized Bed Reactors
Ahmad Shamiri (a), (b), Mohamed azlan Hussain (a), (c), Farouq sabri Mjalli (d), Navid Mostoufi (e), Seyedahmad Hajimolana (a)
a Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
b Training Center, Razi Petrochemical Company, Bandar Imam 161, Iran
c UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
d Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Department, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman
e Process Design and Simulation Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran 11155/4563, Iran
Abstract
Researchers employed a two-phase dynamic model, describing gas phase propylene polymerization in a fluidized bed reactor, to investigate the dynamic behavior and process control of the polypropylene production rate and reactor temperature.
Their open loop analysis showed the nonlinear behavior of the polypropylene fluidized bed reactor, which justified the use of an advanced control algorithm for efficient control of the process variables. A centralized model predictive control (MPC) technique was implemented to control the polypropylene production rate and reactor temperature by manipulating the catalyst feed rate and cooling water flow rate respectively. The corresponding MPC controller was able to track changes in the setpoint smoothly for the reactor temperature and production rate while the setpoint tracking of the conventional proportional-integral (PI) controller was oscillatory with overshoots and obvious interaction between the reactor temperature and production rate loops.
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