Optimal and adaptive control of chaotic convection - Theory and experiments

In theory and experiments, optimal and adaptive control strategies are empl oyed to suppress chaotic convection in a thermal convection loop. The therm al convection loop is a relatively simple experimental paradigm that exhibi ts complex dynamic behavior and provides a convenient platform for evaluati ng and comparing various control strategies. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of employing optimal control and nonlinear est imator to alter naturally occurring flow patterns and to compare the perfor mance of the optimal controller with that of other controllers such as neur al network controllers. It is demonstrated that when the system's model is not known, experimental data alone can be utilized for the construction of a proportional controller. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-6 631(99)02806-8].