Composite Linear Program Controls Ethane Load in a Typical Ethylene Plant.

Maximizing the processing capacity of the plant is currently a common demand in ethylene cracking production. The accumulation of ethane in the system often causes the ethylene rectification tower to hit the load bottleneck. Timely and uniformly increasing the conversion rate of the ethane cracking furnace will fully make use of the capacity of the cracking furnace, reduce the ethane load of the ethylene rectification tower, and ensure that the impact on the run length of the ethane cracking furnace is minimized. Composite linear programming, as an option of the Aspen ethylene APC solution, can effectively feedback the ethane load information of the separation section to the advanced controllers of the ethane cracking furnace in the cracking section, and unify the adjustment strategies of these advanced controllers. Minimize the adjustment amount of each controller, reduce the impact, and relieve the ethane load of the ethylene rectification tower from exceeding the processing capacity.