| M.S., | Texas A&M University, | (2008) |
| B.S., | Illinois Institute of Technology, | (2006) |
My work deals with a modeling and control study of a reactive distillation column used for hydrogenation of benzene. I have developed a steady state and a dynamic model have to investigate control structures for the column. The most important aspects of this control problem are that the purity of the product streams regarding benzene need to be met. At the same time as little toluene as possible should be converted. The former is a constraint imposed by EPA regulations while the latter is tied to process economics due to the high octane number of toluene. It is required to satisfy both of these objectives even under the influence of disturbances, as the feed composition changes on a regular basis. The dynamic model is used for developing transfer function models of two potential control structures. Pairing of inputs and outputs is performed based upon the Relative Gain Array (RGA) and PI controllers are designed for each control structure. The controller performance will be compared in simulation studies.
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