Start
Aug 26, 2014 - 15:00
End
Aug 26, 2014 - 16:00
Venue
Room 149 Chemical Engg.
Event Type
Speaker
Dr. Venkataramana Runkana PhD. Process Engineering Innovation Laboratory Tata Research Development and Design Centre Pune.
Title
Optimization and Control of Industrial Gas-Solid Reactors via Prescriptive Analytics
Abstract : Heterogeneous non-catalytic gas-solid reactors are commonly used in the production of chemicals metals and metal oxides for ex. rotary drum reactor for producing quick lime blast furnace a moving bed reactor for producing pig iron etc. Industrial processes involve multicomponent mixtures of solids as most of the naturally occurring materials are multicomponent in nature. Generally the raw materials are heterogeneous and their physical and chemical characteristics vary from one source to another. Industrial case study on induration of wet iron ore pellets in a moving packed bed reactor will be presented in this talk. Pelletization of iron ores involves two processing steps balling of fine particles on a rotating disc into wet pellets which are then converted into fired pellets on a moving straight grate induration furnace. The quality of fired pellets has a strong influence on the productivity of the reduction furnace and on the quality of hot metal. Hence maintaining pellet quality within the desirable specifications is critical while optimizing the induration process to enhance furnace productivity and energy efficiency. On the other hand because of dwindling natural iron ore resources plant operations team has to deal with iron ore from multiple sources with widely different characteristics. There is a need for dynamic optimization of processing conditions to produce pellets of desirable quality. Moreover pellet quality is analyzed off-line through laboratory analyses. It is also difficult to measure any intrinsic process parameters such as pellet bed permeability time-temperature history of pellets and chemical composition of gases. We have developed a model-based optimization system (Virtual InduratorTM) that incorporates an induration process model based on first principles. Secondly since pellet quality measurements are not available on-line we have developed a model to predict pellet quality parameters based on mining and analysis of the actual measurements and laboratory analyses and simulated data for variables that are not measured. Thirdly in order to optimize the process to enhance productivity while meeting product quality specifications we have developed optimization and control algorithms. The on-line induration process data are obtained through the DCS while the raw material characteristics and product quality data are obtained through LIMS. These data are stored in a real-time database and the model predicts pellet temperature-time history moisture profile coke consumption profile etc. during induration. Secondly using the built-in pellet quality sensor the system predics Cold Compression Strength (CCS) and Tumble Index (TI). This information is then used by the optimization algorithm to determine whether the plant is currently running optimally or not. Based on the results of optimization the operator is provided with a set of operating conditions which could lead to enhanced productivity while meeting product quality specifications. This system was implemented at pellet plants in India and abroad and helped in enhancing productivity and in reducing fuel consumption.Short Bio of speaker Dr. Venkataramana Runkana is currently a Principal Scientist and leads the particle science and nanotechnology research programs at Tata Research Development and Design Centre (TRDDC) Pune India a division of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Venkat received B.Tech (Chemical Engineering) from Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering Tirupati (India) M.Tech (Chemical Engineering) from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (India) and Ph.D. (Earth and Environmental Engineering) from Columbia University New York (USA). He spent two and a half years at Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation (UB Group) Bangalore (India) before joining TRDDC in 1993. His areas of research include process data analytics colloidal suspensions nanomaterials and drug delivery systems. Venkat has more than 23 years of experience in developing and implementing industrial research projects on process modeling simulation and optimization process data analytics and process development scale-up and design. Specifically Venkat and his team have developed and implemented model-based optimization and data analytics solutions for iron ore sintering pelletization and direct reduction operations in the iron and steel industries in India and abroad. Venkat is the winner of the TCS Distinguished Scientist Award in 2014. He is also AICTE-INAE Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Kanpur since May 2013.