Control of the Hot Spot Temperature in an Industrial SO2 Converter

This study addresses the problem of controlling by simulation the magnitude of the maximal catalyst temperature, or hot spot, in a four catalyst beds SO2 converter by manipulating the reaction mixture volumetric flow rate. The control of the maximal catalyst temperature is carried out in order to avoid the occurrence of a hot spot inside the catalyst mass and to keep high catalyst efficiency. Command algorithm used is the generalised predictive control (GPC) with off line process identification. The performance and robustness of the GPC controller are evaluated for the case of a kinetic complex and reversible exothermic reaction. The results obtained by numerical simulation show the possibility of the regulation of the hot spot temperature below a pre-specified value despite the occurrence of strong perturbations.