Two-phase method for real time process control
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a process for separating air into high purity gas streams having one or more manipulated variables in which one manipulated variable is an air flow stream and one or more controlled variables with one of the controlled variables being the degree of purity of a discharge gas stream and having target values which depend upon the adjusted value of said manipulated variables, with the process controlled in real time using a process controller under the operation of a computer comprising the steps of:
- establishing a first performance index to compute the absolute value of the deviation for each controlled variable in the process from its target value over a specified time horizon;
generating a first linear programming model the solution of which will minimize said first performance index;
solving said first linear programming model;
establishing a second performance index to compute the absolute change in the value of each manipulated variable from its previous value over a specified time interval;
generating a second linear programming model the solution of which will minimize said second performance index;
incorporating at least one dynamic constraint in said second linear programming model computed from the solution of said first linear programming model and being equal to a value above zero and of no greater than the value of the solution of said first linear programming model plus a predetermined amount;
solving said second linear programming model with said dynamic constraint; and
adjusting the manipulated variables in response to the solution of said second linear programming model to drive said controlled variables toward their target values and thereby causing the air to be separated into a high purity gas stream.
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Abstract
A method of process control using linear programming models to implement the control of one or more controlled variables to maintain a desired target value over a given time horizon. The controlled variables are controlled by a process controller which adjusts manipulated variables in real time. The method uses two linear programming models with the second model computed from the solution of the first in which the absolute value of the deviation for each controlled variable from its target value over a specified time horizon is computed. This permits the controlled variables to be adjusted with the changes in the manipulated variables held to a minimum over the time horizon under control.
50 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a process for separating air into high purity gas streams having one or more manipulated variables in which one manipulated variable is an air flow stream and one or more controlled variables with one of the controlled variables being the degree of purity of a discharge gas stream and having target values which depend upon the adjusted value of said manipulated variables, with the process controlled in real time using a process controller under the operation of a computer comprising the steps of:
- establishing a first performance index to compute the absolute value of the deviation for each controlled variable in the process from its target value over a specified time horizon;
generating a first linear programming model the solution of which will minimize said first performance index; solving said first linear programming model; establishing a second performance index to compute the absolute change in the value of each manipulated variable from its previous value over a specified time interval; generating a second linear programming model the solution of which will minimize said second performance index; incorporating at least one dynamic constraint in said second linear programming model computed from the solution of said first linear programming model and being equal to a value above zero and of no greater than the value of the solution of said first linear programming model plus a predetermined amount; solving said second linear programming model with said dynamic constraint; and adjusting the manipulated variables in response to the solution of said second linear programming model to drive said controlled variables toward their target values and thereby causing the air to be separated into a high purity gas stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- establishing a first performance index to compute the absolute value of the deviation for each controlled variable in the process from its target value over a specified time horizon;
- 5. A method as defined in 3 wherein said specified time horizon covers a predetermined number of time intervals.
Specification