Patent ID: 8108074

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store at least one model, the at least one model associated with manipulated variables and controlled variables, the manipulated variables and the controlled variables associated with multiple sugar dryers that operate using different fuels and that operate in parallel such that each sugar dryer can process wet material independent of one or more other sugar dryers; and at least one processor configured to determine how to adjust the manipulated variables using the at least one model; wherein the controlled variables include outfall temperatures associated with the sugar dryers; wherein the manipulated variables include rates at which the wet material is provided to the sugar dryers; wherein the at least one processor is configured to control the outfall temperature of each sugar dryer based on the rate at which the wet material is provided to that sugar dryer; and wherein the at least one processor is configured to use an economic optimization to control the rates at which the wet material is provided to the sugar dryers based on different costs associated with the different fuels.