Patent Document ID: 20080108048
Application ID: 11928344
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for controlling temperature of a batch fermenter in a biofuel production process, comprising: providing a nonlinear predictive integrating temperature model for a batch fermentation process, wherein the nonlinear predictive integrating temperature model is a function of fermenter level; receiving an objective for the batch fermentation process specifying a target fermenter temperature for the batch fermentation process; receiving process information for the batch fermentation process, comprising fermenter level and fermenter temperature; executing the nonlinear predictive integrating temperature model in accordance with the objective using the process information as input to determine target values for manipulated variables for controlling fermenter temperature of the batch fermentation process; and controlling fermenter temperature for the batch fermentation process in accordance with the target values to produce biofuel in accordance with the objective, to substantially optimize the end of batch biofuel yield.