IntellOpt’s Intelligent Controller, I-GMAXC is used to control the Delayed Coker in its Normal, Drum Warmup, Drum Switch and Steam Out operating modes. This Gensym/G2™ expert system based controller infers the process mode and automatically reconfigures online the control technology mix between:

to provide optimal control performance for each of the operating modes of this multi-mode process.

The control schemes are designed to achieve the multiple objectives of:

The process of drum switching results in about five basic mass and thermal disturbances in every cycle. Conventional Multivariable Predictive Controller (MVPC) schemes are inadequate during these disturbances and operating mode changes. For better control, the controller needs to adapt to mode changes with controller action changing automatically from a fine tuned MVPC to an ad hoc nonlinear event based action.

The intelligent part of the controller monitors coker drum pressures and temperatures, infers and detects events, and then reformulates the MVPC portion and the technology mix of the controller to deliver the best control action for the specific process condition.

At each execution, information is available for operators and engineers to understand controller actions, active constraints and process predictions. More specific advisory systems can also be customized.

While the controller uses its own dynamic models, Neural Network based inferential predictions for Drum Outage and product properties can also be integrated seamlessly.

A recently completed Delayed Coker application clearly demonstrated the flexibility and superiority of this new generation controller.