Plantwide Control of a Green Formic Acid Production Process

This study presents the design and evaluation of a plantwide control (PWC) system for Formic acid (FA) production under unsteady green Hydrogen supply. Starting from a steady-state foundation in Aspen Plus V12, the system was prepared to handle variable inputs and was subsequently transitioned into Aspen Dynamics for real-time responsiveness. The two-level design methodology to build a PWC scheme, which is comprised of equipment-specific and plantwide controllers, effectively managed fluctuations in feed rates ranging up to �20%, maintaining FA purity and production rate targets. Gradual SRAMP (sinusoidal ramp) adjustments of 1% per hour provided optimal stability. These results confirm the PWC system's effectiveness in maintaining production goals under the variability of throughput.