Dynamic observer model based on modular plant flowsheet

The flow schemes of processing plants generally have well-defined nodes, such as reactors or separators, interconnected with pipes. Bearing in mind that the unit representing each node has a certain hold-up inventory, the dynamic description of the combined network can be expected to comprise differential and algebraic equations, the latter representing stream additions or characteristic relations within the units. In this paper, a method is demonstrated for a node-based description of networks of arbitrarily interconnected units, and the combined system is solved in real-time using a Kalman filter, allowing any combination of variables to be switched between “observed” and “unobserved” at any time, with appropriate reconciliation. The target application is the flotation network of a Platinum-concentrating plant.