Stability of variables
In chemical reactors, yield, product quality, and production capacity depend directly on the stability of critical process variables. Temperature, pressure, concentrations, reactant ratios, and residence time must be maintained near their optimum conditions to ensure a stable and predictable reaction.
When these variables become unstable or move away from their targets, this can result in:
- Product-quality variability and off-spec production when changes in reaction conditions alter product composition;
- Production below the actual limits of the reactor and extended production cycles when variability requires larger operating margins from reaction-kinetic, heat-transfer, mixing, or residence-time constraints;
- Reaction instability and frequent operator intervention, particularly in exothermic reactions, where an increase in temperature can accelerate the reaction rate and lead to difficult-to-control temperature excursions;
- Losses in yield and selectivity when reaction conditions move away from their optimum, promoting side reactions, by-product formation, and less efficient use of raw materials.
Our approach
Enero Solutions optimizes and embeds advanced regulatory control strategies directly within the control system to improve chemical reactor performance. These strategies can include control loop, cascade control, reactant-flow ratio control, feedforward signals, adaptive control, override logic, and automation of production sequences and transitions. When an MPC application is already in place, Enero improves its performance by optimizing the base-layer control that supports it.
Enero can also implement MPC on reactors when beneficial to optimize the product capacity, energy efficiency, yield and product quality.
Enero’s optimization approach makes it possible to:
- Operate the reactor closer to its kinetic and economic optimum
- Further automate load changes, transitions, and production sequences
- Optimize advanced regulatory control and the base-layer controls supporting existing MPC applications, or implement new MPC application
