Robust Batch Process Control Applications: Do’s & Don’Ts

While batch processes are somewhat infrequent in the refining and petrochemical industries, they are at the core of many fine/specialty chemicals and, especially, the bioprocess industries. Given the history of the process development work for theses growing industries, the need for fundamental Control & Instrumentation (C&I) engineering has been largely overlooked or, at a minimum, underappreciated. Consequently, when these types of processes are scaled-up from the lab or very small production units to “industrial sized” facilities, they often have difficulties producing at the expected level of performance. One of the root causes for these deficiencies is the improper or poor utilization of control system capabilities and inadequate or improper instrumentation design.

This presentation will provide a conceptual framework for defining and implementing robust and reliable batch controls. Topics addressed include:

• Using the most robust “container”
• Use of built-in control system functionality
• Creating an “automated operator”
• Detecting & Handling Abnormal Conditions
• Sequence Logic Documentation
• Control hardware selection
• Instrumentation Selection