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Variables (process variable, manipulated variable, disturbance variable) Fixed bed reactors are made up complex systems used

in several industrial chemical processes.Their operational control presents challenges, especially in the case of strongly exothermic reactions due to the effect of the inlet conditions on the temperature and concentration profiles along the catalytic bed. These reactors cannot be operated in excessive temperatures, since disturbances in inlet conditions can generate hot spots, with undesired consequences, such as thermal decontrolling, by-product formation from secondary reactions and catalyst deactivation (Karafyllis and Daoutidis, 2002). According to Chou and Wu (2007), for fixed bed reactors where strongly exothermic reactions are carried out, it is necessary to control the temperature peak and exit concentrations simultaneously, to avoid excessive temperature elevations along the reactor and to assure the product specifications. It is impossible to measure the controlled variable with sufficient speed in several industrial processes. For example, the concentration of chemical species in the exit of a fixed bed reactor. The measurement of this variable in real time is relatively expensive, and demands periodic calibration and maintenance of analyzers. Furthermore, the sampling rates are relatively slow because of the time required to purge all the lines that are connected to the reactor (Budman et al., 1992). For controlling fixed bed reactors, some strategies have been proposed. Such as, the objective is normally to make the control of the reactor exit concentration together with the hot spot temperature control, to prevent undesired thermal and hazardous situations. Among the hazardous situations is that the reactor may rupture if the temperature is too high. The presence of hot spots is due to the fluids that are not equally distributed throughout the system. Hot spots are avoided by ensuring good (equal) fluid distribution across the reactor. If the fluid is perfectly distributed, then there are no radial gradients of temperature.These strategies comprise temperature control, to prevent undesired thermal and hazardous situations. These strategies comprise sophisticated techniques of advanced control and simpler schemes based on the classical proportional- integral-derivative (PID) compensation, which is largely applied to the industrial process control, due to the ease of project and implementation. For a cascade control, a controller is fixed around the sub-processes which lead the slow part of the process. These controllers are intended to quickly eliminate any disturbances that may arise during these sub-processes and without significantly affecting the slow process. Disturbances may also affect the slow process and so it is necessary to attach a controller to the controlled variable. Considering the fact that the manipulated variable is connected to the sub-process controller, it is necessary to connect the output of the main,also called the primary or master, controller to the set point of the sub-process controller. Process variable: Temperature, concentration Manipulated variable: Flow Disturbance variable: Pressure

Figure 1, the flow controller will quickly deal with any up-stream or down-stream pressure variations which could disturb the flow into the reactor. The dynamics of the flow loop are very fast - effectively they are the dynamics of the control valve. The concentration controller deals with other disturbances to the outlet concentration (e.g. inlet concentration changes, temperature changes) by requesting the flow controller to change the flow through the reactor.

Figure 2, The concentration is manipulated by changing the amount of preheat. The control arrangement shown cascades the concentration controller to a temperature controller on the heat exchanger. Provided the heat exchanger dynamics are significantly faster than the reactor dynamics, then this is a very powerful cascade arrangement. The temperature controller will deal with disturbances in the flow and heating quality of the heating medium and will also deal with flow and thermal changes in the reactor feed.

References 1. http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/IMMOB/poppezz/types.html 2. Chou, Y. S., Wu, C. H., 2007, Passivity-based control of the phthalic anhydride fixed-bed reactor, Chemical Engineering Science, 62, 1282-1297. 3. Karafyllis, I., Daoutidis, P., 2002, Control of hot spots in plug flow reactor, Computers and Chemical Engineering, 26, 1087-1094. 4. Budman, H. M., Webb, C., Holcomb, T. R., Morari, M., 1992, Robust inferential control for a packed-bed reactor, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 31, 1665-1679.

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