The residual oil hydrotreating process presents challenges in input–output modeling due to its complex compositions, inaccurate mechanisms, and limited available data sets. Previous efforts indicate that single-fidelity modeling based on first-principles or actual data is inadequate for predicting effluent compositions. This work proposes an improved multifidelity modeling method, termed gradient addition and factor selection based nonlinear Gaussian process (GFNGP), which effectively integrates prior mechanisms and industrial data. By incorporating gradients and selecting factors, GFNGP outperforms the traditional multifidelity nonlinear autoregressive Gaussian process, low-fidelity neural network, and high-fidelity Gaussian process. Taking the low-fidelity neural network as the baseline, GFNGP reduces prediction error by at least 27% across seven output variables. Its robustness and applicability are verified by testing different training sets, yielding median performance improvements ranging from 12% to 64%. Consequently, GFNGP is a practicable modeling strategy for the residual oil hydrotreating process and prompts the petrochemical industry to operate intelligently and efficiently.
Classical 2D continuum models often fail to accurately predict temperature distributions in packed bed reactors due to their reliance on empirical correlations and simplified assumptions regarding the bed structure. This work develops an improved 2D continuum model that utilizes particle-resolved computational fluid dynamics (PRCFD) simulations to determine the spatially distributed effective thermal conductivity. This model addresses the inaccuracies of classical 2D continuum models and the high computational cost of the PRCFD model. The proposed 2D continuum model is highly accurate, as demonstrated by comparisons with classical 2D continuum models in predicting radial and axial temperature profiles. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed model is further improved by using the sintered metal fiber method to calculate the effective thermal conductivity (2D-PW-SMF). The 2D-PW-SMF model shows excellent adaptability, yielding precise temperature predictions under various packing heights, tube-to-pellet diameter ratios, pellet shapes, inlet velocities, and temperature zones. The accuracy of the 2D-PW-SMF model is also examined using a dry reforming of methane reaction, demonstrating its great feasibility in industrial applications. This work provides a powerful and efficient tool for the design and optimization of industrial packed bed reactors.