The use of model predictive control for

oxygen pipeline management.

Peter Burton ( Linde ), Stefan Enk ( Linde ),
Ren Hekkens ( Tata Steel ), Pepijn Pronk ( Tata Steel ).
York, September 19th

9/15/2011

Presentation outline

Company backgrounds
The IJmuiden site.
The need for pipeline management at IJmuiden.
The solution

Model predictive control

The solution so far

Working together

Further work

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The Linde group

The Linde Group is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases and engineering
companies. Following the acquisition of BOC in 2006, we have 50,000 employees in more than 100
countries, and over 12 billion a year in sales.

Gases
Healthcare ( medical )
Tonnage ( on-sites )
Merchant and packaged ( liquefied and cylinder gases )
Electronic gases

Engineering
Olefin
Natural gas
Air separation
Hydrogen and synthesis gas plants

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Global Business Unit Tonnage: Global Operations

350
Production
Sites
56
countries
4500
Operations
Personnel

300
ASUs

70
HyCO
plants

900
Ecovar
plants

100
CO2
plants

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Linde Global Operations ASU plants

Globally: 300 plants

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Linde Gas Global operations

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Tata Steel

In 2007 Tata Steel Limited acquired Corus Group plc

On 27 September 2010 Corus rebranded to Tata Steel
Tata Steel Group:

Fortune 500 company

Top 10 global steel producer

Annual crude steel capacity of 28 million tonnes

More than 80,000 employees

Manufacturing operations in 26 countries

across 5 continents

Serving customers all across the globe

Turnover 2009-10: $22.8 billion

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Strip Products Mainland Europe & IJmuiden site (Tata

Steel)
Produces hot rolled steel strip, cold rolled, metallic coated
steels and processed steel products for industrial
applications (for example, for construction)
Manufacturing locations in different European countries.
Largest production location in IJmuiden (9.300 employees)

IJmuiden

Annual crude steel capacity of 7,5 million tonnes

Crude steel made by combination of 2 blast furnaces and
3- converter BOS plant
Blast furnaces operate with high coal and O2 injection
rates

Raw materials - Pig iron - Steelmaking - Casting - Rolling - Coating

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IJmuiden site ( Linde )

5 plants ( LF31 and LF32 are mainly used as

backup since LF51 came into operation in 2009.)

External liquefier

GOX network with

6 GOX compressors

HPGOX, MPGOX for customer Tata Steel

GAN network with

9 GAN compressors

HPGAN for natural gas supplier

MPGAN, LPGAN for customer Tata Steel

Liquid tanks for

LIN, LOX, LAR for Linde Bulk

Energy supply from customer Tata Steel

Tata Steel

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IJmuiden site

Challenges

TATA steel looking for improved site operation

HPGOX demand is not constant but highly changing due to the batch making pattern of steel making.

HPGOX pipeline with limited buffer capacity

MPGOX is constant for the blast furnaces but can go up and down in steps. This also is a challenge.
Typical HPGOX pattern
resulting in high pipeline pressure changes

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The need for better pipeline management

Improvements necessary in two main areas

Reduction in venting. Production to meet demand.

Better setting of the loads of the three main plants LF33, LF41, LF51 to improve overall
efficiency.

For Tata Steel

Reduced energy bill therefore reduced costs.

More reliable and consistent operation.

For Linde

Meeting the customers needs.

Reduced operator input and thereby can concentrate on other tasks.

More reliable and consistent operation.

Site can be brought into ROC operation.

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Model predictive control solution

Tata Steel had already proven in simulation that model predictive control can give improvements
in pipeline control. Online advisory system for Linde operators.

Linde has significant experience with implementing online model predictive controllers on their
air separation and HYCO units.

Model predictive control was our solution.

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Simplified architecture of the pipeline

Other HP streams

LIN TANK
LEVEL

( Normally constant
unless plant / compression change )

LOX TANK
LEVEL

LIN TO
STORAGE

HP VENT
FLOW

LOX TO
STORAGE

22 bar gas to converters

( variable demand,
frequent large changes )

HPGOX

LF51

FI

VAROX ( 1- FAST )

PIC

LET-DOWN
FLOW

BASIC ( 3 - SLOW )

8 bar gas to blast furnace

(flatter demand pattern,
changes less frequent)

MP VENT
FLOW
PIC

MPGOX ( 2 MEDIUM )

LF41
Other MP streams

MPGOX pressure needs to be very stable and so

HP supplements all the time unless very low
demand from blast furnace.

( Normally constant unless plant /

compression change )
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LF51 simplified controls

FIC

FIC

**

AIR TO

HPGOX TO PIPELINE

PLANT
PIC

LPGAN

1
FIC
FIC

**

LIC

LP
MAIN

COL
ARGON

EXCHANGER

SYSTEM

**

LIN TO
STORAGE

FIC

LIC

HP TURBINE

1
FIC

LOX TO
STORAGE

HP
FIC

LIQUID EXPANDER

* Adjusted for VAROX or BASIC

LP TURBINE

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COL

** Adjusted for BASIC

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LF41 simplified controls

FIC

FIC

**

AIR TO

HPGOX TO PIPELINE

PLANT
PIC

LPGAN

1
FIC
FIC

**

LIC

LP
MAIN

COL
ARGON

EXCHANGER

SYSTEM

**

LIN TO
STORAGE

FIC

LIC

HP TURBINE

1
FIC

LOX TO
STORAGE

HP
FIC

LIQUID EXPANDER

* Adjusted for VAROX or BASIC

LP TURBINE

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COL

** Adjusted for BASIC

15

Key handles.

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Key handle

Ramp speed

Maximise or minimise

LF51 VAROX

Minimal effect on
columns so can
move fast

Zero. Depends on how much LOX or LIN to produce.

Check tank levels.

LF51 BASIC

Air change so
needs to be
slower

Maximise since LF51 BASIC can be produced

efficiently although high purity and high pressure

LF41 MPGOX

No Argon so speed
can be medium

Minimise since LF41 oxygen is expensive to produce

although low purity.

16

Model predictive control solution to work with existing

supervisory controls
LF41 and LF51 already have existing load control programs or automatic load change ( ALC ).
These give good performance within certain ramp speeds. The LMPC pipeline controller or
Production Controller was therefore interfaced with these existing load controllers.

Production Controller ( LMPC )

NEW
LF51 HPGOX

LF51 HPGOX

LF41 MPGOX

VAROX target

basic target

target

ALC LF51
Plant set-points

PLANT SET-POINTS

E.G. HPGOX, AIR, REFLUX FLOWS; ETC.

E.G. HPGOX, AIR, REFLUX FLOWS; ETC.

EXISTING

DCS LF51
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ALC LF41

DCS LF41
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Variables in the model predictive controller

Type

Description

MV

LF51 VAROX target, LF51 BASIC target, LF41 MPGOX target

( manipulated )

CV
( controlled )

VAROX target ( longer term requirement ). Note this is not actually a true CV but the
controller drives to it using a combination of LP weight.

LV

Let-down flow, HP pipeline pressure, LOX and LIN tank levels

( constraint )

FF

Demand forecast from Tata Steel ( still under test ).

( feed-forward )

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HPGOX demand forecast from customer

General expectation
Should be very useful for
ramping plants before the
actual demand change
occurs

now
past

future
Predicted time of
1hour with no
HPGOX demand

Key question
Quality of the forecast
Reliability of the signal
(data interface to
customer)

Demand picks up
before the
prediciton

Forecast given at
that time
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real demand
forecast (now)
forecast (in past)
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IJmuiden Production Controller: Control strategy

Use pipeline pressure as quickly reacting key measurement for demand changes.
Use LF51 VAROX and LF41 as quick control handles to control pressure within limits
Use LF51 base and LF41 to keep VAROX at target

On

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Dropping pressure
(increased demand),
ramping VAROX, LF41 and
slowly LF51 base up

Slowly ramping LF51

base up, to be able to
keep VAROX at target

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Typical weekly performance: Production Controller

The Production Controller

significantly reduces venting that can be avoided
manages difficult situations without increase of controllable venting

High venting due to PC switched off

High venting due to lack of MPGOX demand => high specific power
BUT: still very small controllable vents

(high controllable vents)

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On

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IJmuiden Production Controller: First experience on site

What is observed so far

Significant reduction of GOX loss - benefit for customer Tata Steel

Reduction of specific norm power payments e.g. better balancing of ASUs for minimum
power - benefit for customer Tata Steel

Significant reduction of workload for the operator

benefit for Linde

Operators do not have to permanently monitor changing customer demand of HPGOX and
MPGOX.

Production Controller automatically adapts production to meet varying customer demand

and to minimise venting

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IJmuiden Production Controller: Novel features

People
Working closely with the customer ( Linde / Tata Steel ).
Working closely with the operators they like it !

Technology
Straight-forward LMPC solution at typical RTO layer.
In the LMPC solution, sensible approach to balance
short and long term objectives of the controller using LP weights.

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Further work
IMPROVE

Investigate further the use of demand forecast for improved oxygen pipeline control.

VAROX target at present operator set. Use longer term tools to advise e.g. steel works outage.

Replace ALC controllers on LF41/LF51 with LMPC for better control.

EXPAND

9/15/2011

Inclusion of LF33 into the Production Controller once the LF33 control system has been upgraded.

24

The use of model predictive control for

oxygen pipeline management.
Any questions ?

9/15/2011

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