an energy-efficient automotive catalyst calcination furnace

In this work, a plantwide control approach is used to improve the energy efficiency of an automotive catalyst calcination furnace. the goal is to design a self optimizing control scheme when applied, will inherently optimize the power intake. in this regard, the main focus is on the right selection of the controlled variables. the available infrastructure contains three temperature sensors as potential controlled variables. using system identification methods, first order plus time lag process models are developed and the self optimizing control theory is applied to the system. based on the results, a simple change in the controlled variable will cause a 25% saving in energy required for tracking a predefined heating profile.