Control design for increased profit

A method is presented for designing control systems and determining their set points that will maintain feasible operation and achieve high profit. Unique aspects of the method include integrating steady-state controller models with the process flowsheet and using approximate models to account for uncertainty in the predictions of future operation. The method is applied to a series reactor process, where it achieves higher profit than a back-off design and an industrial pyrolysis reactor, where the method enables selection of the best design for many candidates. Substantial benefits support the use of a systematic method for designing multiloop controls and calculating their set points with due consideration of uncertainty. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.