Realization of online optimizing control in an industrial semi-batch polymerization

In this work, the realization of an online optimizing control scheme for an industrial semi-batch polymerization reactor is discussed in detail. The goal of the work is the automatic minimization of the duration of the batch without violating the tight constraints for the product specification which translate into stringent temperature control requirements for a highly exothermic reaction. Crucial factors for a successful industrial implementation of the control scheme are the development and the validation of a process model that is suitable for process optimization purposes and the estimation of unmeasured process states and the online compensation of model uncertainties. Two implementations are proposed, a direct online optimizing control scheme and a simplified scheme that combines a model-predictive temperature controller and a monomer feed controller that steers the cooling power to a predefined value in a cascaded fashion. We show by simulation results with a validated process model that both schemes achieve the goals of tight temperature control and reduction of the batch time. The performance of the NMPC controller is superior, on the other hand the cascaded scheme could be directly implemented into the DCS of the plant and is in daily operation while the online optimizing scheme requires an additional computer and is currently in the test phase.