Patent ID: 9046882
Filing Date: 2015-06-02
Classification: C12M,G05B

Abstract:
1. A method for managing a batch fermentation reaction process of a biofuel production process, comprising: (a) providing, to a computer-based controller, a parametric hybrid model of a batch fermentation reaction process of a biofuel production process for optimizing a continuous quality objective and an end-of-batch quality objective, where the continuous quality objective is an output of the parametric hybrid model that correlates to the end-of-batch quality objective, and the end-of-batch quality objective comprises a yield of a biofuel product, a throughput of the biofuel product, or an energy efficiency of the batch fermentation reaction process, and determining an optimal batch trajectory over a predictive future control horizon in accordance with the continuous quality objective and the end-of-batch quality objective based at least in part on batch fermentation reaction process information received during a cycle of the batch fermentation reaction process, wherein the parametric hybrid model comprises an empirical model for generating empirical model outputs based at least in part on the batch fermentation reaction process information, a parameter model for generating fundamental model parameters based at least in part on the batch fermentation reaction process information and the empirical model outputs, and a parametric first principles model for generating the continuous quality objective and the end-of-batch quality objective based at least in part on the batch fermentation reaction process information and the fundamental model parameters, wherein the fundamental model parameters represent operating variables that relate to, but are not the same as, inputs and outputs of the batch fermentation reaction process; (b) automatically modifying the parameters of the parametric hybrid model using the parameter model of the parametric hybrid model based on changing operating conditions of fermentation tanks and chillers of the batch fermentation reaction process of the biofuel production process that are monitored by one or more sensors, wherein the operating conditions comprise temperatures, pressures, flow rates, equipment settings, or a combination thereof; (c) providing, to the computer-based controller, objective functions and constraint sets for optimization-based control of the batch fermentation reaction process; (d) providing, to the computer-based controller, the determined optimal batch trajectory; (e) executing, in the computer-based controller, the optimization-based control model using the automatically modified parameters of the parametric hybrid model in accordance with the determined optimal batch trajectory, the objective functions and constraint sets, and the batch fermentation reaction process information, thereby generating control decisions comprising target values for a plurality of manipulated variables for the batch fermentation reaction process; and (f) controlling, using the computer-based controller, operating variables of the batch fermentation reaction process during the cycle of the batch fermentation reaction process in accordance with the target values to produce a biofuel product in accordance with the determined optimal batch trajectory, wherein the operating variables comprise catalyst influence, temperature, feedstock ingredient concentration, enzyme concentration, batch progress, or pH.