【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】1919–2024: Key Technologies and Applications for Intelligent Process Control (IPC) in Large-Scale Petrochemical Plants

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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2024-7-14 at 17:13. Safety first. Prevention first: Let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical technology and equipment industry. **********************【Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Equipment】A continuously updated summary post is available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum) ***************** On July 3, 2024, the key technologies and applications related to intelligent process control (IPC) for large-scale refining and chemical processing units were approved as scientific and technological achievements by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. The evaluation committee believes that this technology is generally at the international advanced level, with the intelligent control models and modeling techniques, as well as the multivariable control techniques, being at the international leading level. 　　The evaluation committee believes that this achievement has three innovative aspects. First, an intelligent control model set with self-learning, self-diagnosis, and adaptive functions was developed. A closed-loop modeling method for industrial data mining that integrates control mechanism knowledge was proposed, a hybrid elite random search optimization algorithm was invented, and an online continuous object model without external test signals was established, thereby overcoming challenges such as inefficient data acquisition and low model accuracy in modeling. Secondly, intelligent control software for controllers was developed, and a design method for controllers based on multiple types and structures of intelligent models was invented, enabling rapid, precise control of the control loop without overshoot. This approach overcame the technical challenge of having to retest control parameters when the controlled object changes. At the same time, this technology also develops a nonlinear regional control method based on fuzzy control and intelligent systems, addressing the issue of strong coupling in complex circuits; it also establishes methods for diagnosing and self-healing control circuit faults, thereby improving the safety level of the production process. Thirdly, based on an innovative method for coordinating multi-constraint, multi-objective interactive responses among variables along with volume limitation control, complex multi-variable intelligent controllers for pyrolysis furnaces, atmospheric pressure furnaces, reduced pressure furnaces, heating furnaces, reactors, compressors, and other devices were designed and developed. New types of multi-variable intelligent control methods such as crossbow control and beacon tower control were invented, thereby addressing the control challenges associated with multi-level, nonlinear, and highly delayed systems in large-scale petrochemical plants, and enabling intelligent dynamic coordinated control of multiple variables during the production process. 　　Hu Qianlin, a member of the Party Committee’s Standing Committee and deputy secretary-general of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, said that achieving intelligence and digitalization is an inevitable choice for the high-quality development of the refining and chemical industry, and it is key to enhancing core competitiveness. IPC technology addresses the key challenges in the petrochemical industry; by taking into account the actual production conditions of such enterprises, it offers comprehensive solutions for intelligent production control. It innovatively overcomes the bottlenecks that hinder stable, efficient, and high-quality production, thereby achieving a true integration of intelligence with the petrochemical industry. 　　According to Wang Wenxin, general manager of Beijing Century Longbo Technology Co., Ltd., the main entity responsible for this technology, the construction of intelligent factories in the refining and chemical industry involves three levels of intelligence: intelligence in business management, intelligence in production operations, and intelligence in process control. Currently, research and development efforts at home and abroad are focused on information systems for management and operational levels; the development of intelligent technologies for the process control level is a relatively weak aspect, and it represents a key challenge in the field of control both domestically and internationally. 　　“Focusing on this world-class challenge and taking into account the actual conditions of industrial production, through over 20 years of technical research, we have innovatively developed the IPC technology theory and methods for large-scale refining and chemical processing units. By integrating industrial big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing technologies with petrochemical production control systems, we have successfully created 42 advanced intelligent control technologies for such units. We have obtained 30 domestic invention patents and 42 software copyrights, thereby solving the long-standing problems of inaccurate and unstable control in the production control systems of the petrochemical industry. ”Wang Wenxin said. 　　It is reported that this achievement has been successfully applied to 165 production units at large petrochemical companies such as CNPC, Sinopec, and Wanhua Chemical. Nine refining and chemical enterprises, including CNPC’s Lanzhou Petrochemical, Tarim Petrochemical, Liaoyang Petrochemical, Daqing Petrochemical, Yunnan Petrochemical, Guangdong Petrochemical, and Karamay Petrochemical, as well as Sinopec’s Tianjin Petrochemical and Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd., have upgraded the control systems of 39 production units using IPC technology.