On‐line optimizing control of a nonadiabatic fixed bed reactor

Abstract

AbstractA scheme of on‐line optimizing control is presented for a nonadiabatic fixed bed reactor which experiences a highly exothermic reaction. The control scheme has been devised to perform adaptive control of bed temperature and on‐line steady state optimization simultaneously.Experiments were conducted with a pilot scale fixed bed reactor where partial oxidation of n‐butane to maleic anhydride occurs. The reactor system was interfaced with a microcomputer for real‐time control and optimization. With an objective function consisting of a net profit by producing maleic anhydride plus a penalty term on high bed temperature, it was clearly shown that the reaction conditions were driven to the expected optimum region.