Application of Distributed Coordination Approach — A Case Example

Abstract

To illustrate the application of distributed coordination approach, we now describe an example of an industrial-scale, multipurpose process plant. The example is derived from a similar example in Friedler et al. (1992) and reflects largely the characteristics of modern process plants in petrochemicals, polymers and chemicals industries, except that, for simplicity, we omit the complexities of recycles or byproducts. These limitations however do not impede the generality of discussions in this chapter. The multipurpose nature of the example allows us to analyse a number of potential production scenarios that can be expected to arise in this class of industry in future. In this sense the example also reflects the long-term vision of a highly reconfigurable process control system and shows that it can be developed using a distributed approach. The system has developed in sufficient detail that it might be used as a benchmark problem.