Structural design for on‐line process optimization: II. Application to a simulated FCC

A previously proposed methodology for analyzing the economic performance of different structures of an integrated model predictive regulatory control and on-line optimization system is illustrated using the simulated case study of a fluid-catalytic cracker. The economic performance of two previously proposed regulatory control structures, the conventional and riser-regenerator control structures, is assessed both in isolation and as part of a real-time optimization system. The results show that the economic performance of the conventional structure is superior when operated in isolation. The theory, however, predicts that an optimally configured real-time optimization system based on the riser-regenerator structure will deliver superior performance overall. The predictions of the method were confirmed using Monte Carlo simulations.