PID Demulsifier Control for High-Pressure Trap Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for controlling demulsifier injection in oil-water emulsions lack precision, leading to overdosing or under-dosing, resulting in unstable separation efficiency and increased operating costs, and often rely on manual control or rule-based logic without feedback mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a computer-implemented feedback control scheme that adjusts demulsifier dosage based on temperature and historical process data using PID controllers to maintain target separation efficiency, with minimum and maximum dosage limits, thereby stabilizing separation efficiency and reducing manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual control or rule-based logic is used for demulsifier injection, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system that continuously monitors separation efficiency and adjusts demulsifier injection rates accordingly. The system uses the measured separation efficiency as feedback to automatically modify the injection rate, replacing manual control with an automated closed-loop control mechanism that maintains precise separation efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If demulsifier dosage is increased to improve separation efficiency, then separation efficiency is improved, but loss of substance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback control system continuously monitors separation efficiency and adjusts demulsifier injection rates to maintain optimal performance. By using real-time feedback, the system prevents both overdosing (which wastes demulsifier) and underdosing (which reduces separation efficiency), thereby optimizing demulsifier consumption while maintaining effective separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts demulsifier injection rates based on changing process conditions and measured separation efficiency. Rather than using fixed dosing rates, the injection rate is continuously modified to match actual separation performance, enabling precise control that adapts to varying operating conditions and prevents excessive demulsifier usage.
3Loss of substance
If demulsifier dosage is decreased to reduce operating costs, then loss of substance is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback control system prevents underdosing by continuously monitoring separation efficiency and automatically increasing demulsifier injection rates when separation performance drops. This ensures that demulsifier dosage is never reduced below the level needed to maintain effective separation, preventing both waste and performance degradation.
4Reliability
If high demulsifier dosage is used to ensure adequate separation, then reliability is improved, but loss of substance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback control system maintains reliable separation performance by continuously monitoring separation efficiency and adjusting demulsifier injection rates in real-time. This eliminates the need for consistently high dosages, as the system only increases injection rates when separation efficiency drops below target levels, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing overall demulsifier consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method can include implementing a feedback control scheme including controlling a separation efficiency for a high-pressure production trap (HPPT) by manipulating the demulsifier concentration. Controlling the separation efficiency can include determining, as a function of temperature and based on correlations of historical process data, minimum and maximum target separation efficiencies; identifying a target separation efficiency that is between the minimum and maximum target separation efficiencies; and adjusting a demulsifier dosage, used in calculating the separation efficiency, between a minimum demulsifier concentration and a maximum demulsifier concentration. The adjusting can include: when the separation efficiency is below the target separation efficiency, adjusting, using a PID controller, the demulsifier dosage upward but not to exceed a maximum dosage concentration; and when the separation efficiency is above the target separation efficiency, adjusting, using the PID controller, the demulsifier dosage downward above a minimum dosage concentration.