Learning control of fermentation process with an improved DHP algorithm

Control of the fed-batch ethanol fermentation processes to produce maximum product ethanol is one of the key issues in the bioreactor system.However,ethanol fermentation processes exhibit complex behavior and nonlinear dynamics with respect to the cell mass,substrate,feed-rate,etc.An improved dual heuristic programming algorithm based on the least squares temporal difference with gradient correction(LSTDC) algorithm(LSTDC-DHP) is proposed to solve the learning control problem of a fed-batch ethanol fermentation process.As a new algorithm of adaptive critic designs,LSTDC-DHP is used to realize online learning control of chemical dynamical plants,where LSTDC is commonly employed to approximate the value functions.Application of the LSTDC-DHP algorithm to ethanol fermentation process can realize efficient online learning control in continuous spaces.Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of LSTDC-DHP,and show that LSTDC-DHP can obtain the near-optimal feed rate trajectory faster than other-based algorithms.

Unique influences of reboiler inventory control on the operation of totally reboiled reactive distillation columns

In this work,the dynamics and operation of the totally reboiled reactive distillation columns are visualized in terms of transfer function based process models.This kind of processes is found to be characterized by underdamped step responses due to the special topological configuration and the intricate interplay between the reaction operation and the separation operation involved.The under-dampness can be substantially alleviated through the tight inventory control of bottom reboiler and this presents beneficial effects to process dynamics and operation.Two totally reboiled reactive distillation columns,separating,respectively,a hypothetical synthesis reaction from reactants A and B to product C,and a real decomposition reaction from 1,4-butanediol to tetrahydrofuran and water,are employed to demonstrate these uncommon behaviors.The results obtained give full support to the above qualitative interpretation.Despite the strong influences of reaction kinetics and thermodynamic properties of the reacting mixtures,the totally reboiled reactive distillation columns are generally considered to present such unique behaviors and require tight inventory control of bottom reboiler to facilitate their control system development.

Interpreting the dynamic effect of internal heat integration on reactive distillation columns

In this work,the impact of internal heat integration upon process dynamics and controllability by superposing reactive section onto stripping section,relocating feed locations,and redistributing catalyst within the reactive section is explored based on a hypothetical ideal reactive distillation system containing an exothermic reaction:A + BC + D.Steady state operation analysis and closed-loop controllability evaluation are carried out by comparing the process designs with and without the consideration of internal heat integration.For superposing reactive section onto stripping section,favorable effect is aroused due to its low sensitivities to the changes in operating condition.For ascending the lower feed stage,somewhat detrimental effect occurs because of the accompanied adverse internal heat integration and strong sensitivity to the changes in operating condition.For descending the upper feed stage,serious detrimental effect happens because of the introduced adverse internal heat integration and strong sensitivity to the changes in operating condition.For redistributing catalyst in the reactive section,fairly small negative influence is aroused by the sensitivity to the changes in operating condition.When reinforcing internal heat integration with a combinatorial use of these three strategies,the decent of the upper feed stage should be avoided in process development.Although the conclusions are derived based on the hypothetical ideal reactive distillation column studied,they are considered to be of general significance to the design and operation of other reactive distillation columns.

Landmarks in the application of electrical tomography in particle science and technology

Selected milestones in the development and use of electrical tomography in powder conveying, slurry processing and multi-phase flow are highlighted. The ability to map concentration in opaque mixtures under process-realistic conditions was a major innovation for the method and has had far reaching implications. Subsequent developments have enabled velocity information to be abstracted resulting in the ability to measure component flux and motion.