46. Fuzzy Controller Design for an FCC Unit

This paper examines the procedure for a nonlinear modeling and fuzzy controller design of a Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit, also known as FCCU. The case study is an FCCU plant in Abadan Refinery, Iran. FCCU is one of the most important sections in the Petrochemical industry. In 2006 alone, FCCUs refined one-third of the Crude Oil worldwide. FCCUs convert heavy distillates, such as Gasoil (feed) and Crude Oil, to Gasoline, Olefinic gases and other more usable products. Factors including but not limited to FCCU’s high efficiency, and daily price fluctuations in Gas, Oil and Petrochemical products, make the optimization of such units the center of focus for both engineers and investors. Unlike the conventional controllers, Fuzzy Logic is the perfect choice for stochastic, dynamic and nonlinear processes where the mathematical model of the plant cannot be produced, or if realizable, a great deal of approximation is involved. The heuristic approach in Fuzzy Logic controllers is the closest form to the human language, and this virtue will make it a perfect candidate for a wide range of industrial applications. The investigations in this paper are simulated and proven by MATLAB Fuzzy Logic Toolbox R2013a. In this paper, the applicability and promising features of Fuzzy Logic controllers for such a complex and demanding plant will be investigated.