An autonomous approach for driving systems towards their limit: an intelligent adaptive anti-slug control system for production maximization

Anti-slug control in multiphase risers involves stabilizing an open-loop unstable operating point. Existing anti-slug control systems are not robust and tend to become unstable after some time, because of inflow disturbances or plant dynamic changes, thus, requiring constant supervision and retuning. A second problem is the fact that the ideal setpoint is unknown and we could easily choose a suboptimal or infeasible operating point. In this paper we present a method to tackle these problems. Our complete control solution is composed of an autonomous supervisor that seeks to maximize production by manipulating a pressure setpoint and a robust adaptive controller that is able to quickly identify and adapt to changes in the plant. The supervisor is able to automatically detect instability problems in the control loop and moves the system to a safer, stable operating point. Our proposed solution has been tested in a experimental rig and the results are very encouraging.