Patent ID: 11947339
Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  Y | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A method for optimizing a process across both a continuous conversion of raw ingredients into intermediate components and a non-continuous conversion of the intermediate components into a plurality of desired products, the method comprising:
a master model predictive controller (MPC) receiving first constraints on the raw ingredients available for use during a predetermined future time period;
the master MPC controller receiving second constraints on the intermediate components that can be produced during the predetermined future time period based at least in part on one or more of the first constraints on the raw ingredients and inventory storage constraints for the intermediate components;
the master MPC controller receiving information on a desired quantity and desired product type of each of the plurality of desired products to be produced from the intermediate components during the predetermined future time period, where production of the plurality of desired products from the intermediate components is governed at least in part by recipes that specify how the intermediate components are combined to form the plurality of desired products;
the master MPC controller receiving proxy limit values from each of one or more slave MPC controllers, where each of the proxy limit values identifies to what extent one or more process variables controlled by a corresponding slave MPC controller of the one or more slave MPC controllers are adjustable without violating any constraints of the one or more process variables that are controlled by the corresponding slave M PC controller; and
the master MPC controller performing plant-wide optimization collectively optimizing the continuous conversion of the raw ingredients into the intermediate components and the non-continuous conversion of the intermediate components into the desired quantity and desired product type of the plurality of desired products such that an optimized quantity of each of the intermediate components is produced to support the non-continuous conversion of the optimized quantity of the intermediate components into the desired quantity and the desired product type of each of the plurality of desired products during the predetermined future time period, and where the proxy limit values allow the master MPC controller to honor the constraints of the one or more process variables of the one or more slave MPC controllers during the plant-wide optimization.