COOPOL

Control and Real-Time Optimisation of Intensive Polymerisation Processes

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Transition of processing industries towards a more sustainable model of manufacturing is one of key priority topics for European Research Area. This transition requires adoption of novel reactor technologies, greener reactions and the increase in the use of intelligent systems in processing industries. The latter means improving processes through use of real-time information and ability to affect processes in real time. The long-term vision of COOPOL is to develop new methods and tools for modeling and control, based on real-time sensing, which will facilitate the development of a new paradigm of processes: intensive, low-impact, sustainable chemical technologies. The COOPOL consortium is focusing on one of the key areas of interest to European Chemical Industries, namely the polymer industry. Within the chemicals sector polymer production plays a significant role, with European market share of 25% and providing employment to 1.6 million people within EU27. Many polymer products are manufactured using batch and semi-batch reactors. In most cases the process parameters, such as temperature profile, feeds, etc follow a specific time schedule, which has been fixed after an expensive period of product and process development. This tight recipe schedule is sensitive against disturbances e.g., unexpected variation in operating conditions, variation in feed purity etc., which inevitably leads to variations in polymer structure and to inter-batch variability and off-spec products. Furthermore, the use of empirically determined recipes with fixed-time controls does not allow intensification of the process which requires time-varying feeds and reactor temperature to run the reaction faster and hence closer to its limits, and also to switching from a semi-batch to other reactor or process types. COOPOL addresses the complex issues of real-time process control based on advanced models and on-line sensors, to develop a generic basis for widely applicable sustainable intensified processes. COOPOL will develop a new process control approach, linking molecular level information and understanding of the reaction chemistry with real-time sensing, rigorous modeling based on first principles, subsequent model reduction and non-linear model-predictive control (NMPC) with economic objectives, called dynamic real-time optimisation (DRTO). The approach of COOPOL is to develop robust real-time optimisation-based control and sensing methodologies and through their application to achieve, in parallel, the intensification of (i) the existing processes, and (ii) the development of novel intensive ‘smart-scale’ processes. The approach of COOPOL will deliver significant advance in the state-of-the-art in model-based predictive control and at the same time produce tangible and exploitable benefits for European industry in the short, medium and long-term.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU-funded project is focusing on making significant improvements in industrial polymerisation processes. Novel advanced control and optimisation technologies are ensuring in-spec product quality and increased productivity.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Transition of the processing industries toward a more sustainable manufacturing model should ensure continued growth and global competitiveness. Achieving this requires adopting novel reactor technologies, greener reactions and increase in intelligent system use.

The EU-funded project 'Control and real-time optimisation of intensive polymerisation processes' (http://www.coopol.eu/ (COOPOL)) is developing new methods and tools for modelling and control of reactor based processes, based on real-time sensing and feedback. This should facilitate developing a new paradigm of more intensive, low-impact and sustainable chemical technologies.

The project is focused on the development of a new process control approach to improve process efficiency through intensification of semi-batch and 'smart-scale' continuous polymerisation processes. This will be achieved by linking molecular-level information of the reaction chemistry with soft sensors, incorporating rigorous mathematical models, and subsequently implementing reduced models for non-linear model-predictive control and dynamic real-time optimisation.

After characterising different polymers and polymerisations, scientists have produced and validated semi-batch and smart-scale models for online control applications. Process intensification for polymerisation systems have been investigated in a smart-scale tubular reactor with static mixers. The results, so far show feasibility and robustness of an established stable process with high solids content throughput.

A further important achievement has been the development of sensor fusion whereby a soft sensor approach is being developed to allow for the processing of several data simultaneously such as heat ?ow, surface acoustic wave, temperature and conductivity.

Presently, efforts are in place to prepare for a successful demonstration of polymerisation processes at a production-pilot plant, thereby putting developed theory from the lab scale to plant scale. Researchers have made significant advances with regard to developing state-of-the-art model-based process control methods with special emphasis on improving product properties.

With COOPOL, implementation of greener and more sustainable chemical processes is now a step closer to reality.