Pressure control to reduce pump power fluctuations

A polymerization process comprising:

• circulating a reaction mixture slurry in a polymerization loop reactor during a polymerization process;
• wherein the reaction mixture slurry comprises an olefin, a catalyst, and a polymer product, and wherein the polymerization loop reactor comprises a pump, wherein the pump is disposed in-line in the polymerization loop reactor, wherein a pressure sensor is disposed downstream of the pump, wherein a first takeoff valve is disposed downstream of the pump, and wherein a second takeoff valve is disposed downstream of the first takeoff valve;
• detecting a pressure change in the reaction mixture slurry at the pressure sensor;
• generating, by a pressure controller in signal communication with the pressure sensor, a first takeoff valve actuation signal for the first takeoff valve and a second takeoff valve actuation signal for the second takeoff valve based on the pressure change;
• generating, by the pressure controller, a first correction to the first takeoff valve actuation signal;
• generating, by the pressure controller, a first time delay for the first correction, wherein the first time delay is based on a distance between the first takeoff control valve and the pump;
• applying the first correction to the first takeoff valve actuation signal after the first time delay to generate a first corrected takeoff valve actuation signal;
• generating, by the pressure controller, a second correction to the second takeoff valve actuation signal;
• generating, by the pressure controller, a second time delay for the second correction, wherein the second time delay is based on a distance between the second takeoff control valve and the pump;
• applying the second correction to the second takeoff valve actuation signal after the second time delay to generate a second corrected takeoff valve actuation signal;
• and
• adjusting a position of the first takeoff valve and the second takeoff valve during the polymerization process in response to the first corrected takeoff valve actuation signal and the second corrected takeoff valve actuation signal, respectively.

A method of controlling a polymerization process, the method comprising:

• circulating a reaction mixture slurry in a polymerization reactor during a polymerization process, wherein the reaction mixture slurry comprises an olefin, a catalyst, and a polymer product;
• detecting, by sensor, at least one condition within the polymerization reactor during the polymerization process;
• detecting, by a pump power sensor, a pumping power fluctuation of at least one pump used in the circulating of the reaction mixture slurry;
• developing, by a processor, a probability network;
• transferring the at least one condition and the pumping power fluctuation to the probability network;
• determining, by the processor, the probability that the at least one condition is a cause of the pumping power fluctuation;
• determining that the probability that the at least one condition is a cause of the pumping power fluctuation is above a threshold;
• controlling the at least one condition when the probability that the at least one condition is a cause of the pumping power fluctuation is above a threshold;
• and
• reducing the pumping power fluctuation in response to controlling the at least one condition.