13. The arrangement of chemical plant

The arrangement of chemical plant

A mathematical model is built based on the know-how of the process, and then stored in the computer for basic references. The system includes an optimizing device for quality control; the computer receives information from sensors about the quality of the product, and then gives instructions to the actuators to change the conditions in the factory to get the best product. The whole system consists of parts of direct and negative feedback; in the first case, the computer links the automatically measured input variables to a mathematical model and takes corrective measures if necessary, while in the second, the computer receives product quality data from a quality sensor and then instructs the actuators to change the variables in the process to get the product of the desired quality. A complex organization is necessary because no negative feedback alone can handle very complex situations, because in modern industrial operations it is difficult to store all the information needed to predict product quality with great accuracy.