Control of a homogeneous stirred reactor: Trajectory Piecewise-Linear model for NMPC

• Published in: 2009 European Control Conference (ECC) pp. 2301 - 2306
• Main Authors: Jarmolowitz, Fabian, Abel, Dirk, Wada, Tomoya, Peters, Norbert
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.08.2009
• Subjects: Algorithms; Bismuth; Combustion; Decision support systems; Economic indicators; Europe; Inductors; Mathematical models; Nonlinearity; Oscillations; Reaction kinetics; Reactors; Strategy; Tin; Trajectories; Trajectory
• ISBN: 9783952417393; 3952417394
• DOI: 10.23919/ECC.2009.7074748

As a consequence of increasing computational power and improved algorithms, Model Predictive Control (MPC) nowadays is becoming applicable to high-dynamic processes. If using nonlinear MPC strategies (NMPC), e.g. Sequential Quadratic Programming-solvers (SQP), it is reasonable, if not mandatory to reduce the prediction model in order to cope with real-time. In this work the Trajectory Piecewise-Linear approach (TPWL) as a Model Order Reduction (MOR) scheme is investigated in simulation on its applicability on controlling combustion instabilities in an open homogeneous reactor using a SQP strategy. The corresponding nonlinear model exhibits, like the experiment, temperature oscillations during combustion. The temperature oscillations are due to chemical kinetics and typical for homogeneous low-temperature combustion. Since chemical kinetics are highly nonlinear, NMPC is a promising approach to damp these oscillations and to control the system in different operating points.