Patent ID: 7966098

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: at least one memory encoding computer readable program code for controlling production equipment and at least one model, the at least one model associated with the production equipment that is operable to produce ammonia, the production equipment comprising a reformer section, a carbon dioxide wash section, and an ammonia synthesis reactor section, the reformer section comprising a primary reformer and a secondary reformer; and at least one processor that executes the computer readable program code in order to cause the at least one processor to control the production equipment using the at least one model; wherein the at least one model represents a plurality of controlled variables and a plurality of manipulated variables, at least one manipulated variable being associated with at least one controlled variable through the at least one model, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to manipulate the at least one manipulated variable to control the at least one associated controlled variable using the at least one model; wherein the controlled variables comprise at least one of: a methane slip in the secondary reformer, an exhaust temperature of an air compressor, a heating limit of a stack gas damper in the primary reformer, a carbon dioxide slip in the carbon dioxide wash section, a pressure of an ammonia synthesis reactor, and a valve position in an ammonia synthesis gas compressor; and wherein the manipulated variables comprise at least one of: a steam flow or steam ratio in the primary reformer, an air-to-gas ratio in the secondary reformer, a temperature of a lean solution in the carbon dioxide wash section, and a suction pressure of the ammonia synthesis gas compressor.