FUZZYFCC: Fuzzy logic control of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) to improve dynamic performance

In this paper, fuzzy logic control of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) is proposed. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process is a unit that converts heavy distillates like gas oil or residues to gasoline and middle distillates using cracking catalyst. About 45% of worldwide gasoline production comes from FCC processes and its ancillary units. Since a typical FCC unit can process a large amount of the feedstock into more valuable products, the overall economic benefits of a refining could be considerably increased if proper control and optimization strategies are implemented. FCC processes are known to be very difficult to model and control because of the large process scale, complicated hydro-dynamics and complex kinetics of both cracking and coke burning reactions. One of the more heavily investigated terms of nonlinear control, in the field of “intelligent control”, is that due to fuzzy logic controllers (FLCs). FLCs have been successfully applied to a stream of difficult, nonlinear dynamical process such as FCC. Here, with an application to a Turkish refinery FCC unit of FLC fuzzy results obtained using Matlab-Fuzzy Logic Toolbox version 6.5 were found to be acceptable. The paper indicates how fuzzy logic control (FLC), as a promising control technique, would be effectively used for improved process control of FCC in refinery process industry.