Computer process control, robust control, modelling
and control of nonlinear processes.
Robust Control
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Models of systems are always inaccurate. Control systems
which are based on process models have to be designed to deal with this
model mismatch. This research deals with the application of robust control
theory to advanced control techniques such as Model Predictive Control,
Inferential Control and Nonlinear Control. Methods for quantifying the
model uncertainty from experimental data are studied.
Modelling and control of nonlinear processes
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Chemical processes are in general highly nonlinear especially
when operated in a wide range of operating conditions. There is a strong
motivation to control these processes with nonlinear controllers. One of
the major difficulties in designing nonlinear controllers is to obtain
a good simple model of the processes under study. Different techniques
such as Volterra series or NARMAX models are being evaluated to identify
reduced order models of the process. Typical case studies are reactors,
bioreactors, solidification of metals, cells and tissues.
Inferential control
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Inferential control is motivated by the fact that some
quantities such as concentration are either expensive to measure or the
measurement is too slow to be efficiently used for control. A possible
solution is to inferred the controlled variables from secondary measurements,
e.g. concentration from temperatures. Multivariate regression techniques
are being used for designing steady state estimators. Extensions of this
technique for designing dynamic estimators is under study.
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Research Interests
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Cain, S.L., Budman, H., and Pritzker, M. "On-Line Inferential
Estimation of Grade for a Copper Smelter", Canadian Journal of Chemical
Engineering, in press (1996).
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Budman, H., Kzyonsek, M., and Silveston, P. "Control
of a Nonadiabatic Packed Bed Reactor Under Periodic Flow Reversal", Canadian
Journal of Chemical Engineering, in press (1996).
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Doyle, F., Budman, H., and Morari, M. "Linearizing Control
Design for a Packed Bed Reactor Using a Low-Order Wave Propagation Model",
in press (1996).
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Noel, A., Savoie, M., Budman, H., and Lafontaine, L.
"Advanced Brown Stock Washer Control: Successful Industrial Application
at James McLaren", TAPPI Journal, 79, 1, 121-127 (1996).
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Webb, C., Budman, H., and Morari, M. "Identification
of Uncertainty Bounds for Robust Control with Applications to a Fixed Bed
Reactor", Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 34 (1995).
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Selected References
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