Patent ID: 8615325
Filing Date: 2013-12-24
Classification: C01B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of managing an operational state of a steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace, the method comprising: determining, by operation of one or more computer processors, a current operational state of the steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace, wherein the current operational state specifies one or more operating parameters including at least an inlet stream pressure, an outlet stream pressure, an inlet temperature, an outlet temperature, an inlet mixture, a reaction temperature, burner fuel flow rates, and an outlet composition; comparing the current operational state to a specified, preferred operational state; in response to determining that the one or more parameters of the current operational state deviates from the specified, preferred operational state by a specified amount; matching, by a controller application executing on the one or more computer processors, the current operational state to one or more operating scenarios stored in a database which relates to control strategies for the preferred operational state of the steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace, wherein each of the operating scenarios have been generated offline using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace; generating, by operation of the one or more computer processors based on the matched scenario, one or more adjustments to one or more of the operating parameters of the steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace, the one or more adjustments performed to return the steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace to the specified, preferred operational state; and performing the one or more adjustments to the one or more operating parameters of the steam hydrocarbon reformer furnace.