Process Vessel Pressure Control
Dandenong, VIC
A leading chemicals manufacturer commissioned BJH Controls to provide a process vessel pressure control, with the objective of improving pressure control so that additional equipment in the process would not cause excessive pressure excursions.
Product quality was unable to be maintained at high feed rate, despite the attempts of in-house engineers to fine-tune the existing PID algorithm. Overcoming the chaotic pressure fluctuations occurring was a major challenge to efficient production, as the PID loop control was unable to respond appropriately to the rapid, non-linear fluctuations in pressure and rate of change in pressure. BJH Controls believed that fuzzy logic would achieve the desired outcome.
Implementation of the fuzzy logic allowed finessing of the program within a few hours. The pressure in the vessel, which had been fluctuating to about 10 per cent of the set point, decreased in fluctuation to about 0.5 per cent.