Adaptive Data Reconciliation Coupling C++ and PRO/II and On-line Application by the Field

The paper discusses the possibility of coupling object-oriented programming languages such as Visual C++ and the commercial simulators such as PRO/II, UniSim, and AspenHysys to get a generalized framework for robust and reliable data reconciliation of sulfur recovery units by taking to a series of benefits from their interaction: (i) simulation software provides a high-level and field-proven degree of detail in simulating processes; (ii) they usually allow inferring measures even when the instrumentation presents serious lacks by the field; and (iii) the programming languages allow using specific numerical libraries to solve large-scale, nonlinear, constrained optimization problems by making them feasible even for the on-line industrial application. The proposed approach was validated on a large-scale Sulfur Recovery Unit (technology by Technip-KTI SpA) operating in an oil refinery placed in Italy.