Latest Advancements in

Process Control in Refineries

and Chemical Plants

Author: Giovanni Franchi-Chemical Engineer – PhD Student

–University UCBM – Rome (Italy)

1.Theme Description
The world production of chemicals in 2020 will increase of 144
Million of metric tons[1] with a market of 4.650 US$
billion.[2] Automation and Process Control have a pivotal role
in industrial plants, indeed, they allow to improve products
quality, plants efficiency, the safety and reliability of the
processes.

The automatic feedback controls were introduced in 1920-1930s

mounted on the controlled equipment. Since then, process
control has spread rapidly from the first digital devices at
the end of 1950s up to Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
and Distributed Control System (DCS) in 1970s.Nowadays
networks of computers manipulate thousands of variables, but
85-95% of feedback control loops are based on Proportional-
Integrative-Derivative (PID) system developed in 1930s.
Furthermore, the flow rates of liquid and gases are controlled
by pneumatic valves.[3]

The use of advanced controls can increase plant’s profit

margin between 10-20% and reduce emissions of about
70%[4].Therefore, in the following sections PID tuning
optimization, APC (Advanced Process Control) and MPC (Model
Predictive Control) are described. Finally, an overview on the
latest software in process control and “smart control” are
discussed.

2. Process Control
The Aspen Technology Inc. has defined five levels of maturity
for a refinery and chemical plant depending on the control
level, from level zero where no process simulation is used up
to level four, where several models are reported in a single
flowsheet and engineers can make decisions by monitoring key
parameters.[5] As can be seen in Figure 1, a plant, usually
runs in a safety zone called “comfort zone” away from
constrain limits. With PID optimization and APC is possible to
reduce from three to ten times the amplitude of oscillations
working near constrain limits and increasing productivity and
profit margins.[6]

Figure 1 – “Comfort Zone” and Positive Effects by using PID

tuning optimization and APC.6
Therefore, in this section PID tuning optimization and APC
controls are described.

PID Controls
The PID controls are the most common control used into
chemical and petrochemical plants due to easy implementation
and robustness. (Figure 2)

The controller takes a corrective action depending on the

magnitude of the error[7]:

proportional action cuts off most of the errors;

integral action reduces steady-state error or off-set;
derivative action decreases maximum overshoot.

Figure 2 – PID control loop.[8]

In order to have desirable outputs it can be used a separate

controller for each variable (decentralized strategy) or a
single controller that manipulate all the variables
(centralized strategy)3.It is usually used in parallel form
expressed as follow:

Where,= bias (steady-state) value; Kc = controller gain; e(t) =

error signal set equal to (set point – present value); τ I =
integral time or set time; τD = derivative time.

Tuning Optimization

There are several tuning techniques that allow to find proper

PID parameters.
These methods were developed since 1940s and nowadays can be
divided into two categories: Classical and Artificial
Intelligent methods.

Classical methods include: Ziegler and Nichols and Cohen and

Coon Methods. Ziegler and Nichols proposed two methods, the
first called “step response” that can be applied only to open-
loop stable plants. It considerers, indeed, the response of
industrial process such as a S-shape without overshoot. As can
be seen in Figure 3,the delay time (L) represents the
intersection of tangent line at inflection point of the curve
and x-axes. While time constant (T) represents the
intersection with steady state line. From these values is
possible to find PID parameters.

Figure 3 – Parameters of the First Ziegler Nichols Method.[9]

The second method is called “continuous cycling method”. It

allows to find the critical frequency of the system by
increasing the proportional gain until stability limit. The
two parameters that describe the response of the system are
KCU(ultimate gain) and PU(ultimate period). In Table 1 are shown
the relationship between PID parameters and the two Ziegler
and Nichols methods.
Table 1–Parameters of the Step Response and Continuous Cycling
,
Method.[10] [11]

Ziegler and Nichols methods are suitable for level control but
not for flow, liquid pressure that require a rapid
response.[12]In these cases Cohen and Coon methods are
used.[13]This method finds three poles: two complex and one
real that allow to minimize the integrated error and to have a
decay ratio of about ¼.[14]

Artificial Intelligent Methods include dozens of methods. Some

of them are described, such as Genetic and Differential
Evolution Algorithms. For the other ones such as Simulated
Annealing (SA), fuzzy system, Artificial Bee Colony (ABC),
Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) etc. it can be consult

references[15],[16] .

Genetic Algorithm starts from a random population of binary

strings called chromosomes each of them represent the
solutions of the problem. The strings are encoded to real
number that defines PID parameters. These values are
elaborated by PID controller and the response is evaluated by
means of objective function such as MSE (Mean Square Error),
IAE (Integral Absolute Error), ISE (Integral Squared Error)
etc. The fitness values are subjected to a process of
selection, crossover and mutation until best fitness is
obtained.[17]
 Figure 4 – Flow chart of Genetic Algorithm.[18]

Differential Evolution Algorithm, instead, starts from the

initialization of real encoding matrix where rows represent
PID parameter while columns represent i-th population vector.
Each population is evaluated by PID controller and the result
represent the fitness value. Then crossover step that involves
target vector (first vector of population)and mutual vector
(three random vectors from population are selected) generates
a trial vector whom fitness values are elaborated by PID.
Finally, fitness values of target vector and trial vector are
compared to select the minimum value. In this way the
individual of new population is generated. The algorithm stops
when new population is completed.
 Figure 5 – Flow Chart of Differential Evolution.[19]

The main limit of feedback control is that corrective action

takes place only when output is perturbed from its set point.
Therefore, more advanced controls were developed such as PID
plus feed forward that allows to intervene before disturbance
takes place or cascade composed by two controllers, two
sensors and one actuator acting on two processes in
series.[20]Despite PID controllers ensure good stability and
suppression of the disturbances, process performance
optimization fails due to the multivariable nature of it and
the complex interactions between controlled variables.
Therefore, Advanced Process Control are necessary.[21]
3. APC
The APC includes all software that allows to control critical
variables and predicts quality in real-time such as:

Statistical Process Control (SPC)that uses a random

sampling and statistical analysis to identify causes
outside the process that changed the quality of a
product. This method is used especially for
manufacturing lines, but it fits well also process where
output can be measured. [22]
Run2Run (R2R) is widespread in the semiconductor
industry (for more information see Moyene et al.[23]),
but it can be applied also to batch processes such as
chemical vapor deposition or batch chemical reactors10.
The quality of the product is evaluated at the end of
the run and the set-points are changed between two
successive runs. Therefore, this control is used when
there aren’t enough on-line measurements of the interest
products.
Model Predictive Control (MPC) described more in detail
later.

An example of APC implementation is described by Howes et al.6

for a lubrification of oil process. The system consists of 12
manipulated variables, 28 controlled variables and 11
feedforward controls. By means of Pitops software developed by
Pi Control the plant has increased rate of production of 5%
saving about 1.3 M€. The software, indeed, gives the
parameters of the system in 10 minutes basing on historical
data without step tests. Other examples are Canada’s Yara
Belle PlaineInc. and South Korea’s LG Petrochemical Corp. The
first applied APC techniques to a nitric acid plant reducing
methane emissions by 25% maintaining high temperature
combustion. While the latter, applied to a naphtha cracking,
allows to improve yield by 5%, reducing energy consumption in
cold side by 8% and saving 100.000 $/y.[24]
MPC

The precursor of MPC is represented by LQG (Linear Quadratic

Gaussian) developed by Kalman in 1960s, but the first MPC
generation appeared in 1970s with IDCOM (developed within
ADERSA) and DMC (developed within Shell Oil). Nowadays we have
reached the fifth generation where Honeywell, AspenTech and
Shell dominate the markets[25]. The MPC is suitable to
describe the behaviour of MIMO (Multi-Input, Multi-Output)
processes.

As can be seen in Figure 6 a classical plant control provides

for different hierarchical levels[26]: a plant wide-
optimization, a local economic optimizer and a dynamic
constraint control. Usually this is done by several PID
controls lead-lag (L/L) blocks and high/low select logic. With
MPC, shown in more detail on the right end, this can be
achieved with better results by taking an action on the
difference between actual and predictive value
(residuals).11 ue (residuals).11

Figure 6–Comparison between a PID and MPC controllers.[27],[28]

Commercial MPC software

Nowadays the main MPC software includes: DMCplus developed by

AspenTech, SMOC of Shell Global and RMPCT of Honeywell. The
following is a brief description of these, for more details
see Lahiri[29].

DMCplus derives by the fusion of Dynamic Matrix Control (DCM)

and Setpoint Multivariable Control Architecture (SCMA). The
software is composed by several packages and allows to
simulate Finite Impulse Response (FIR), linear Multi-Input,
Multi-Output (MIMO) and nonlinear Multi-Input, Single Output
(MISO) State Place. Recently AspenTech has introduced the
Adaptive Process Control that reduces the possibility to have
“flipping” behaviour of the plants due to the difference
between the plant and the controller model. This package,
indeed, forced the system to work in an optimum area instead
of optimum setpoint. In this way, the performances of the
plants aren’t compromised. The model, also, is implemented by
using historical data of the process and adjusting online the
parameters with an adaptive model, saving time.

SMOChas been used in more than 430 applications such as crude

distillation, hydrocracking, styrene etc.

It includes several packages:

pro
AIDA is an offline software that analyzes data from open
and closed loop defining the mathematical model to be
used by taking into account unmeasured disturbances.

MDprois an offline software that allows to control base

and multivariable control loops by means of statistical
methods.

RQEprousesa Kalman filter that allows to adapt the model

on process conditions. It gives parameters for online
process reducing maintenance and increasing stability of
it.
 SMOC p r o is used for multivariable control system
optimization. This package uses a grey-box approach
where input and output are defined by means of
intermediate variables. In this way the engineers can
take a cascade correction optimizing the response of the
process.

RMPCT manages process with huge errors and large interactions

between controlled variables. The controller doesn’t follow a
specific trajectory but can move through any trajectory within
the constrains defined by a “funnel”. At the same time, the
controlled variables aren’t forced to keep the set points, but
can change in a range. In this way disturbances are rejected
and the control is optimized.

Smart Control

In the era of digital devices, “smart control” for chemical

and petrochemical industry can have a key role in reducing
costs, saving materials and increasing production rates. The
idea is to create intelligent networks where flowsheet and
variables are optimized in real time.[30] Emerson represents
the leading company in the sector providing smart solutions
both for old and new refinery such as electronic marshalling
and HART (Highway Automated Remote Transducer) protocol. The
former allows to eliminate cross-wires, to reduce the space
occupied and the time for add new I/O interfaces[31]; the HART
protocol, instead, matches the characteristics of analog and
control system removing repetitive problem and predicting
unexpected failures.[32] Several companies have implemented
smart controls such as Chevron/PDVSA in Petropiar refinery
saving 70 M$ in two years, reducing by 40% cost for pre-
commissioning and commissioning, and 60% the losses due to
instruments faults.[33] In China, Sinopec launched four pilot
plants (Jiujiang, Zhenhai, Maoming, and Yanshan) using
advanced control and online optimization. This allowed to
increase profits of about 10% (i.e. at Yanshan and at
Maomingprofits increased of 25.12 million of CNY and 41.94

million of CNY respectively).30

4.Conclusion
Process Control is very common in refineries and chemical
plants. It was used for the first time in 1920-1930s and today
is essential to respect product quality, safety and
reliability of the processes. Despite the progress of
technologies, 85-95% of feedback control loops are based on
PID controllers and the main system controls are dated in
1985. The value of technologies that has reached the end-life
and with more than 20 years is about 65US$ billion dollars and
53 US$ billion dollars respectively.33 Therefore, several
tuning optimizations such as Artificial Intelligent Methods
(Genetic and Differential Evolution Algorithms) together with
Advanced Process Control (APC) have been described.
Furthermore, some examples of the advantages offered by the
implementation of APC have been shown and the latest software
for Model Predictive Control (MPC) have been illustrated such
as DMCplus, SMOC and RMPCT. In this scenario the “smart
control” in chemical and petrochemical plants can have a
pivotal role in reducing costs increase profits and create
safer plants. The current estimate provides that plant’s
profit margin can improve of about 10-20% while emissions can
decrease of about 70%.

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