OPERATING REGIME-BASED CONTROLLER STRATEGY FOR MULTIPRODUCT PROCESSES

A hybrid, dynamical supervisory control strategy is introduced to cont rol multi-product processes. The scheme involves the selection of the best setpoint controller, from an existing family of feedback controll ers, to be placed into feedback with the process so as to cause the ou tput to track the desired setpoint. This task is performed without exh austive trial and error, by minimizing a specific normed output estima tion error that relates the process output to a shared controller stat e. The performance of the supervisory control strategy is demonstrated on a continuous-stirred tank reactor that can be operated at three di fferent conversion levels. However, the most desirable operating point is open-loop unstable. Linear controllers are designed for each opera ting region and the role of the supervisory control strategy will be t o determine the switching logic as different scheduling policies are d emanded. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd