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Advanced Monitoring and Control of Multi‐monomer System in Emulsion Polymerization
Author(s) -
Gomes Vincent G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
macromolecular reaction engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.37
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1862-8338
pISSN - 1862-832X
DOI - 10.1002/mren.201000023
Subject(s) - emulsion polymerization , model predictive control , monomer , molar mass , robustness (evolution) , polymerization , process control , emulsion , process engineering , computer science , process (computing) , software , polymer , particle size , materials science , chemical engineering , control (management) , chemistry , engineering , biochemistry , programming language , artificial intelligence , composite material , gene , operating system
A control framework was developed for real‐time implementation of optimal control of emulsion polymerization with multiple monomers by integrating model‐based algorithms with software engines. The developed system was applied for controlling conversion, particle size, molar mass, and polymer composition using model predictive control (MPC) based on mechanistic models for emulsion polymerization. The control formulation was extended to account for existing process constraints on the input, input moves, and solids content. On experimental testing, the developed control scheme was found to achieve the desired objectives without violating the process constraints and showed good robustness in rejecting disturbances. Improvements in the process operation and polymer property control were noted on implementing the developed multi‐variable MPC for molar mass and product composition. The system facilitated efficient control of fundamental polymer attributes with semi‐batch operation.