Cost based control of air pollution control

• US 20060047526A1
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Piche, Stephen, Boyden, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/346 Controlling the process
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/504 characterised by a specific device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A controller for directing operation of an air pollution control (APC) system, requires a consumable to perform a process to control emissions of a pollutant. The process has multiple process parameters (MPPs). One or more of the MPPs is a controllable process parameters (CTPPs) and one of the MPPs is an amount of the pollutant (AOP) emitted by the system. A defined AOP value (AOPV) represents a limit on an actual value (AV) of the emitted AOP. An interface receives a value corresponding to a unit cost of the consumable. A control processor determines the cost of operating the system based on the received value corresponding to the unit cost of the consumable, and directs control of at least one of CTPPs based on the current value of that CTPP and the determined operating cost.

Claims

1. A controller for directing operation of an air pollution control (APC) system, requiring a consumable to perform a process to control emissions of a pollutant, having multiple process parameters (MPPs), one or more of the MPPs being controllable process parameters (CTPPs) and one of the MPPs being an amount of the pollutant (AOP) emitted by the system, and having a defined AOP value (AOPV) representing a limit on an actual value (AV) of the emitted AOP, comprising:

an interface configured to receive a value corresponding to a unit cost of the consumable; and

a control processor configured with the logic (i) to determine a cost of operating the system based on the received value corresponding to the unit cost of the consumable and (ii) to direct control of at least one of the one or more CTPPs based on a current value of that CTPP and the determined operating cost.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein:

the control processor is configured with the further logic to determine the cost of operating the system based on the received value corresponding to the unit cost of the consumable and values of the MPPs.

3. The controller according to claim 1, wherein:

the control processor is configured with the further logic to determine the cost of operating the system in real time.

4. The controller according to claim 1, wherein:

the control processor is configured with the further logic to direct control of the at least one CTPP based also on a current AV of the emitted AOP and the AOPV.

5. The controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

one of a neural network process model and a non-neural network process model representing a relationship between each of the at least one CTPP and the emitted AOP; and

wherein the control processor is configured with the further logic to direct control of the at least one CTPP based also on the one model.

6. The controller according to claim 5, wherein:

the one model includes one of a first principle model, a hybrid model, and a regression model.

7. The controller according to claim 1, wherein:

the system is a wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) system that receives SO₂ laden wet flue gas, and consumes externally generated electrical energy to apply reactant to remove SO₂ from the received SO₂ laden wet flue gas and thereby control emissions of SO₂, and exhausts desulfurized flue gas;

the at least one CTPP includes a first load representing an amount of the reactant applied;

the AOP is an amount of SO₂ in the exhausted desulfurized flue gas;

the consumable is the externally generated electrical energy; and

the control processor determines the cost of operating the system based on the value corresponding to the unit cost of the externally generated electrical energy and a future value of the first load, and directs control of the first load based on a current value of the first load and the determined operating cost.

8. The controller according to claim 7, wherein:

the WFGD system also consumes externally generated electrical energy to apply oxidation air to crystallize the SO₂ removed from the received SO₂ laden wet flue gas; and

the at least one CTPP also includes a second load representing an amount of the oxidation air applied; and

the control processor determines the cost of operating the system based also on a future value of the second load, and directs control of the blower based also on a current value of the second load.

9. The controller according to claim 1, wherein:

the system is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that receives NO_x laden flue gas, applies ammonia and dilution air to remove NO_x from the received NO_x laden flue gas, thereby consuming ammonia and controlling emissions of NO_x, and exhausts reduced NO_x flue gas;

the at least one CTPP includes a parameter corresponding to an amount of the ammonia applied;

the AOP is an amount of NO_x in the exhausted flue gas;

the consumable is the ammonia; and

the control processor determines the cost of operating the system based also on a future value of the amount of ammonia to be applied, and directs control of the amount of ammonia applied based on the current value of the amount of ammonia being applied and the determined operating cost.

10. The controller according to claim 1, wherein:

the control processor is configured with the further logic to determine the cost of operating the system by predicting a cost of operating the system based also on a future adjusted value of each of the at least one CTPP.

11. The controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

an user input device configured to input the value corresponding to the unit cost of the consumable;

wherein the interface receives the input value corresponding to the unit cost of the consumable.

12. A method for directing control of performance of an air pollution control (APC) process, requiring a consumable to control emissions of a pollutant, having multiple process parameters (MPPs), one or more of the MPPs being controllable process parameters (CTPPs) and one of the MPPs being an amount of the pollutant (AOP) emitted, and having a defined AOP value (AOPV) representing a limit on an actual value (AV) of the emitted AOP, comprising:

determining a cost of performing the process based on a value corresponding to a unit cost of the consumable; and

directing control of at least one of the one or more CTPPs based on a current value of that CTPP and the determined operating cost.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

determining the cost of performing the process is based also on values of the MPPs.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the cost of performing the process is determined in real time.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

control of the at least one CTPP is directed based also on a current AV of the emitted AOP and the AOPV.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

control of the at least one CTPP is directed based also on one of a neural network process model and a non-neural network process model representing a relationship between each of the at least one CTPP and the emitted AOP.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the one model includes one of a first principle model, a hybrid model, and a regression model.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the process is a wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) process that consumes externally generated electrical energy to apply reactant to remove SO₂ from SO₂ laden wet flue gas and thereby control emissions of SO₂, and exhausts desulfurized flue gas;

the at least one CTPP includes an amount of the reactant applied;

the AOP is an amount of SO₂ in the exhausted desulfurized flue gas;

the consumable is the externally generated electrical energy;

the cost of performing the process is determined based on the value corresponding to the unit cost of the externally generated electrical energy and a future value for the amount of reactant to be applied; and

control of the amount of reactant applied is directed based on a current value of the amount of reactant being applied and the determined cost of performing the process.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein:

the WFGD process also consumes externally generated electrical energy to apply oxidation air to crystallize the SO₂ removed from the SO₂ laden wet flue gas; and

the at least one CTPP also includes an amount of the oxidation air applied;

the cost of performing the process is determined based also on a future value for the amount of oxidation air to be applied; and

control of the amount of oxidation air applied is directed based also on a current value of the amount of oxidation air being applied.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the process is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process that applies ammonia and dilution air to remove NO_x from NO_x laden flue gas, thereby consuming ammonia and controlling emissions of NO_x, and exhausts reduced NO_x flue gas;

the at least one CTPP includes a parameter corresponding to an amount of the ammonia applied;

the AOP is an amount of NO_x in the exhausted flue gas;

the consumable is the ammonia;

the cost of performing the process is determined based on the value corresponding to the unit cost of the ammonia and a future value for the amount of ammonia to be applied; and

control of the amount of ammonia applied is directed based on a current value of the amount of ammonia being applied and the determined cost of performing the process.

21. The controller according to claim 12, wherein:

the cost of performing the process is determined by predicting a cost of performing the process based also on a future adjusted value of each of the at least one CTPP.