PROCESS CONTROL AND OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUE USING IMMUNOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

摘要

An integrated optimization and control technique performs process control a nd optimization using stochastic optimization similar to the manner in which biological immune systems work, and thus without the use of historical process models that mus t be created prior to placing the control and optimization routine in operation within a plant. In particular, an integrated optimization and control technique collects various indications o f process control states during the on-line operation of the process, and stores these process control states within a memory. During steady-state operation of the process, the integrate d optimization and control technique attempts to optimize the process operation by developi ng a series of sets of process control inputs to be provided to the process, wherein the series of process control inputs may be developed from the stored process control states using an objective function that defines a particular optimality criteria to be used in optimizing the operation of the process. Moreover, the integrated optimization and control technique may respond to a significant change in the current process state by determining a new set of process control inputs to be provide to the process based on one or more of the stored proce ss control states. In this case, the optimizationand control technique compares the disturbance inputs of the current process control operating condition, after one or more of these disturbance inputs experiences a significant change, to the disturbance inputs of at least some of the stored process control states to determine the one or more of the stored process control states that is/are closest to the new process operating condition. The integrated optimization and control technique then develops the new set of control inputs to be delivered to the process based on the control inputs associated with the one or more stored process control states determined to be closest to the new process operating condition.