Dynamics and control of reactor - feed effluent heat exchanger networks

In this paper, we analyze the energy dynamics of process networks comprising of a chemical reactor and a feed effluent heat exchanger (FEHE). Using singular perturbation analysis, we show that, in the case of tight energy integration, the energy dynamics of the network evolves over two time scales, with the enthalpy of individual units evolving in the fast time scale and the overall network enthalpy evolving in the slow time scale. We describe a model reduction procedure to derive the non-stiff slow model which can be used for controller design. The theoretical results are illustrated via a simulation case study.