Dynamic Simulation for APC Projects: A Case Study on a Reformate Splitter with Side Draw

What happens when one tries to control the same impurity – here benzene content – in the top, the bottom and the side draw of a Reformate Splitter fractionation column? If there is no benzene in the bottom of the fractionator (e.g. because column temperature profile is high), what impact does this have on the APC models? This presentation addresses some of the challenges of trying to handle non-linear process responses with APC linear models, and how steady-state and dynamic simulation helped APC engineers gain the necessary process knowledge to make the right decisions.