Fog computing for raising delayed coker yields

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10611971-B2
Application number	US-201815927752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2018
Priority date	Mar 21, 2018
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A method of operating a refinery including at least one coke drum coupled to a coker fractionator. A pump characteristics curve is provided for a fractionator bottom pump coupled to the coker fractionator comprising a net positive suction head required (NPSHr) curve as a function of a pump flow rate. Fog computing utilizes the pump characteristics curve along with at least one sensed input parameter including a real-time value for the pump flow rate to control the fractionator bottom pump to dynamically control a column pressure (Pc) in the coker fractionator. A reduction in Pc is obtained that reduces an available NPSH (NPSHa) which lessens a difference between the NPSHa and the NPSHr.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a refinery including at least one coke drum coupled to a coker fractionator, comprising:
providing a pump characteristics curve for a fractionator bottom pump coupled to said coker fractionator comprising a net positive suction head required (NPSHr) curve as a function of a pump flow rate for said fractionator bottom pump, and
fog computing utilizing said pump characteristics curve along with at least one sensed input parameter including a real-time value for said pump flow rate to control said fractionator bottom pump to dynamically control a column pressure (Pc) in said coker fractionator,
wherein a reduction in said Pc reduces an available NPSH (NPSHa) which lessens a difference between said NPSHa and said NPSHr.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sensed input parameter further comprises at least one of a noise, a temperature increase, a current drawn, and a vibration of said fractionator bottom pump.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sensed input parameter further comprises a plurality of noise, a temperature increase, a current drawn, and a vibration of said fractionator bottom pump.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said control of said fractionator bottom pump is through a programmable logic controller (PLC) coupled to a valve that is between a fractionator receiver and a coker off-gas compressor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said fog computing is implemented as firmware run by a processor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said fog computing is implemented in hardware comprising logic gates.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said fog computing further utilizes past operating data for said fractionator bottom pump for said dynamical control of said Pc.

8. A coker system, comprising:
at least one coke drum coupled to a coker fractionator that are heated by a coker furnace, wherein said coker fractionator is pumped by a fractionator bottom pump;
a fog computing block for providing fog computing utilizing a pump characteristics curve for said fractionator bottom pump comprising a net positive suction head required (NPSHr) curve as a function of a pump flow rate of said fractionator bottom pump along with at least one sensed input parameter including a real-time value for said pump flow rate to control said fractionator bottom pump to dynamically control a column pressure (Pc) in said coker fractionator,
wherein a reduction in said Pc reduces an available NPSH (NPSHa) which lessens a difference between said NPSHa and said NPSHr.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said sensed input parameter further comprises at least one of a noise, a temperature increase, a current drawn, and a vibration of said fractionator bottom pump.

10. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a programmable logic controller (PLC) having an input coupled to an output of said fog computing block for said control of said fractionator bottom pump coupled to a valve that is between a fractionator receiver and a coker off-gas compressor.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein said fog computing block is implemented as firmware run by a processor.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein said fog computing block is implemented in hardware comprising logic gates.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Banerjee Soumendra Mohan

Classifications

• G05B19/05

  Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts · CPC title

• C10G55/04 Primary

  including at least one thermal cracking step · CPC title

• G05B2219/45241

  Coke oven · CPC title

• G05D7/0635

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05B2219/1214

  Real-time communication between plc, Ethernet for configuration, monitor · CPC title