Olefins Pyrolysis Furnace Optimization and Alarm Reduction
BKOAI used mode-based alarming and predictive control to reduce nuisance alarms and improve reliability in olefins pyrolysis furnaces
Goals
- Reduce nuisance alarms during critical furnace operation transitions.
- Improve furnace transition handling to maintain process stability.
- Minimize manual operator interventions during complex quench cycles.
- Increase control reliability in olefins pyrolysis furnace operations.
Challenges
- High alarm volumes during furnace transitions overwhelm control room operators.
- Distinguishing critical process events from nuisance alarms is highly difficult.
- Quench control processes involve complex, interactive multivariable dynamics.
- Operators must frequently intervene manually to maintain stable system conditions.
Solutions
- Develop specialized modal alarming software for olefins pyrolysis operations.
- Implement user-friendly operator-facing interfaces for real-time monitoring and control.
- Install multivariable model predictive control systems for furnace quench processes.
- Optimize transitional operational logic to automate baseline stabilization processes.
Results
- Nuisance alarms during furnace transitions were significantly decreased.
- Overall alarm rates dropped to safer, more manageable operating levels.
- Manual operator interventions were successfully minimized across both operational phases.
- Control reliability of the pyrolysis furnace operations was greatly improved.
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
