Finite-dimensional approximation and control of non-linear parabolic PDE systems

This article proposes a rigorous and practical methodology for the derivation of accurate finite-dimensional approximations and the synthesis of non-linear output feedback controllers for non-linear parabolic PDE systems for which the manipulated inputs, the controlled and measured outputs are distributed in space. The method consists of three steps: first, the Karhunen-Loeve expansion is used to derive empirical eigenfunctions of the non-linear parabolic PDE system, then the empirical eigenfunctions are used as basis functions within a Galerkin's and approximate inertial manifold model reduction framework to derive low-order ODE systems that accurately describe the dominant dynamics of the PDE system, and finally, these ODE systems are used for the synthesis of non-linear output feedback controllers that guarantee stability and enforce output tracking in the closed-loop system. The proposed method is used to perform model reduction and synthesize a non-linear dynamic output feedback controller for a rapid thermal chemical vapour deposition process. The controller uses measurements of wafer temperature at five locations to manipulate the power of the top lamps in order to achieve spatially uniform temperature, and thus, uniform deposition of the thin film on the wafer over the entire process cycle. The performance of the non-linear controller is successfully tested through simulations and is shown to be superior to the one of a linear controller.     

Economic MPC with a contractive constraint for nonlinear systems

In this paper, we consider the stability issue of economic model predictive control (EMPC) for constrained nonlinear systems and propose a new contractive constraint formulation of nonlinear EMPC schemes. This formulation is one of Lyapunov‐based approaches in which the contractive function chosen a priori can be used as a Lyapunov function. Some conditions are given to guarantee recursive feasibility and asymptotic stability of the EMPC. Moreover, we analyze the transient economic performance of the EMPC closed‐loop system in some finite‐time intervals. The proposed EMPC scheme is applied to a chemical reactor model to illustrate its utility and benefits. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

约束非线性系统稳定经济模型预测控制

考虑约束非线性系统,提出一种新的具有稳定性保证的经济模型预测控制（Economic model predictive control,EMPC）策略.由于经济性能指标的非凸性和非正定性,引入关于经济最优平衡点的正定辅助函数.利用辅助函数的最优值函数定义原始EMPC优化问题的稳定性约束.应用终端约束集、终端代价函数和局部控制器三要素,建立闭环系统关于经济最优平衡点的渐近稳定性和渐近平均性能.进一步,结合多目标理想点概念,将提出的控制策略用于多个经济性能指标的优化控制,得到稳定多目标EMPC策略.最后,以连续搅拌反应器为例,比较仿真结果验证本文策略的有效性.     

On the theory of economic MPC: ELOC and approximate infinite horizon EMPC

In recent years, the notion of Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) has gained significant interest. Despite a marked improvement in economic performance, it has been shown that this performance will degrade substantially if implemented with a horizon that is not sufficiently large. In the current effort, it is shown that if applied to a particular reaction process, EMPC performance will abruptly collapse at a critical horizon size. To alleviate this issue, we develop an Infinite Horizon EMPC (IH-EMPC) formulation. While this IH-EMPC problem is computationally intractable, it does lead to an approximation of the optimal policy. The resulting Approximate IH-EMPC (AIH-EMPC) is identical to the original finite horizon EMPC, but includes a final cost term that represents the objective function from the finite horizon to infinity. With two example systems, a chemical reactor and a power system with energy storage, it is shown that the AIH-EMPC policy is virtually insensitive to its computational horizon size.     

A tutorial review of economic model predictive control methods

An overview of the recent results on economic model predictive control (EMPC) is presented and discussed addressing both closed-loop stability and performance for nonlinear systems. A chemical process example is used to provide a demonstration of a few of the various approaches. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the current status of EMPC and future research directions to promote and stimulate further research potential in this area.     

约束非线性系统输入到状态稳定经济型模型预测控制

考虑约束非线性系统经济型最优控制问题,提出一种关于经济性能输入到状态稳定的经济型模型预测控制(EMPC)策略.通过离线计算系统的最优经济稳态点,构建关于该稳态点跟踪的稳定最优控制问题.在此基础上,利用稳定最优控制问题的最优值函数和关于经济性能函数的松弛量构造EMPC优化问题的收缩约束,再结合不变集原理和输入到状态稳定性...     

Analysis and control of parabolic PDE systems with input constraints

This paper develops a general framework for the analysis and control of parabolic partial differential equations (PDE) systems with input constraints. Initially, Galerkin's method is used for the derivation of ordinary differential equation (ODE) system that capture the dominant dynamics of the PDE system. This ODE systems are then used as the basis for the synthesis, via Lyapunov techniques, of stabilizing bounded nonlinear state and output feedback control laws that provide an explicit characterization of the sets of admissible initial conditions and admissible control actuator locations that can be used to guarantee closed-loop stability in the presence of constraints. Precise conditions that guarantee stability of the constrained closed-loop parabolic PDE system are provided in terms of the separation between the fast and slow eigenmodes of the spatial differential operator. The theoretical results are used to stabilize an unstable steady-state of a diffusion-reaction process using constrained control action.     

On finite-time and infinite-time cost improvement of economic model predictive control for nonlinear systems

A novel two-layer economic model predictive control (EMPC) structure that addresses provable finite-time and infinite-time closed-loop economic performance of nonlinear systems in closed-loop with EMPC is presented. In the upper layer, a Lyapunov-based EMPC (LEMPC) scheme is formulated with performance constraints by taking advantage of an auxiliary Lyapunov-based model predictive control (LMPC) problem solution formulated with a quadratic cost function. The lower layer LEMPC uses a shorter prediction horizon and smaller sampling period than the upper layer LEMPC and involves explicit performance-based constraints computed by the upper layer LEMPC. Thus, the two-layer architecture allows for dividing dynamic optimization and control tasks into two layers for a computationally manageable control scheme at the feedback control (lower) layer. A chemical process example is used to demonstrate the performance and stability properties of the two-layer LEMPC structure.     

Interactions between control and process design under economic model predictive control

Economic model predictive control (EMPC) is a model-based control scheme that integrates process control and economic optimization, which can potentially allow for time-varying operating policies to maximize economic performance. The manner in which an EMPC operates a process to optimize economics depends on the process dynamics, which are fixed by the process design. This raises the question of how process and EMPC designs interact. Works which have addressed process and control design interactions for steady-state operation have sought to simultaneously develop process designs and control law parameters to find the most profitable way to operate a process that is able to prevent process constraints from being violated and to optimize capital costs in the presence of disturbances. Because EMPC has the potential to operate a process in a transient fashion, this work first focuses on how EMPC and process design interact in the absence of disturbances. Using small-scale process examples, we seek to understand the fundamental nature of the interactions between EMPC and process design, including how these interactions can impact computational complexity of the controller and the design procedure. We subsequently utilize the insights gained to suggest controller design variables which might be considered as decision variables for a simultaneous process and control design problem when disturbances are considered.     

Optimal control of coupled parabolic–hyperbolic non-autonomous PDEs: infinite-dimensional state-space approach

This paper deals with the design of an optimal state-feedback linear-quadratic (LQ) controller for a system of coupled parabolic–hypebolic non-autonomous partial differential equations (PDEs). The infinite-dimensional state space representation and the corresponding operator Riccati differential equation are used to solve the control problem. Dynamical properties of the coupled system of interest are analysed to guarantee the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the LQ-optimal control problem and also to guarantee the exponential stability of the closed-loop system. Thanks to the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the parabolic operator and also the fact that the hyperbolic-associated operator Riccati differential equation can be converted to a scalar Riccati PDE, an algorithm to solve the LQ control problem has been presented. The results are applied to a non-isothermal packed-bed catalytic reactor. The LQ optimal controller designed in the early portion of the paper is implemented for the original non-linear model. Numerical simulations are performed to show the controller performances.     

Optimal boundary control of coupled parabolic PDE–ODE systems using infinite-dimensional representation

The optimal boundary control problem is studied for coupled parabolic PDE–ODE systems. The linear quadratic method is used and exploits an infinite-dimensional state-space representation of the coupled PDE–ODE system. Linearization of the nonlinear system is established around a steady-state profile. Using appropriate state transformations, the linearized system has been formulated as a well-posed infinite-dimensional system with bounded input and output operators. It has been shown that the resulting system is a Riesz spectral system. The linear quadratic control problem has been solved using the corresponding Riccati equation and the solution of the corresponding eigenvalue problem. The results were applied to the case study of a catalytic cracking reactor with catalyst deactivation. Numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller.     

Smart grid coordination in building HVAC systems: EMPC and the impact of forecasting

Energy consumption by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems exhibits a clear correlation with electricity prices. The method of economic model predictive control (EMPC) can be used in conjunction with thermal energy storage (TES) to time-shift power consumption away from periods of high demand to periods of low energy cost. Dynamic electricity pricing and weather condition forecasts can be readily incorporated within this methodology. Unfortunately, the receding horizon nature of this control strategy makes it very susceptible to the quality of the forecasts used. To this end, the development and implementation of several forecasting methods will be discussed. Finally, the EMPC performance of these methods will be assessed on a simple building example using active TES.     

基于切换控制的经济模型预测控制

为了提升经济模型预测控制的经济性能指标, 提出一种切换控制策略. 首先, 依据Lyapunov 稳定性理论给出理想和扰动下的两类估计可行域, 并实时检测系统状态; 然后, 根据系统状态所处不同区域, 采用相应的控制器分别实施经济优化、状态驱动和稳态驱动. 所提方法在保证稳定性的同时, 能够为经济性能优化提供更多的在线优化时间和优化自由度, 获得比传统方法更高的经济效益. 通过一个负阻振荡器实例验证了所提出方法的可行性和有效性.

     

有界扰动下约束非线性系统鲁棒经济模型预测控制EI北大核心CSCD

针对未知但有界扰动下约束非线性系统,提出一种新的鲁棒经济模型预测控制(Economic model predictive control,EMPC)策略,保证闭环系统对扰动输入具有输入到状态稳定性(Input-to-state stability,ISS).基于微分对策原理,分别优化经济目标函数和关于最优经济平衡点的鲁棒稳定性目标函数,其中经济最优性与鲁棒稳定性是具有冲突的两个控制目标.利用鲁棒稳定性目标最优值函数构造EMPC优化的隐式收缩约束,建立鲁棒EMPC的递推可行性和闭环系统关于最优经济平衡点相对于有界扰动输入到状态稳定性结果.最后以连续搅拌反应器为例,对比仿真验证本文策略的有效性.     

Integrating dynamic economic optimization and model predictive control for optimal operation of nonlinear process systems

In this work, we propose a conceptual framework for integrating dynamic economic optimization and model predictive control (MPC) for optimal operation of nonlinear process systems. First, we introduce the proposed two-layer integrated framework. The upper layer, consisting of an economic MPC (EMPC) system that receives state feedback and time-dependent economic information, computes economically optimal time-varying operating trajectories for the process by optimizing a time-dependent economic cost function over a finite prediction horizon subject to a nonlinear dynamic process model. The lower feedback control layer may utilize conventional MPC schemes or even classical control to compute feedback control actions that force the process state to track the time-varying operating trajectories computed by the upper layer EMPC. Such a framework takes advantage of the EMPC ability to compute optimal process time-varying operating policies using a dynamic process model instead of a steady-state model, and the incorporation of suitable constraints on the EMPC allows calculating operating process state trajectories that can be tracked by the control layer. Second, we prove practical closed-loop stability including an explicit characterization of the closed-loop stability region. Finally, we demonstrate through extensive simulations using a chemical process model that the proposed framework can both (1) achieve stability and (2) lead to improved economic closed-loop performance compared to real-time optimization (RTO) systems using steady-state models.     

Distributed Proportional-spatial Derivative control of nonlinear parabolic systems via fuzzy PDE modeling approach

In this paper, a distributed fuzzy control design based on Proportional-spatial Derivative (P-sD) is proposed for the exponential stabilization of a class of nonlinear spatially distributed systems described by parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs). Initially, a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy parabolic PDE model is proposed to accurately represent the nonlinear parabolic PDE system. Then, based on the T-S fuzzy PDE model, a novel distributed fuzzy P-sD state feedback controller is developed by combining the PDE theory and the Lyapunov technique, such that the closed-loop PDE system is exponentially stable with a given decay rate. The sufficient condition on the existence of an exponentially stabilizing fuzzy controller is given in terms of a set of spatial differential linear matrix inequalities (SDLMIs). A recursive algorithm based on the finite-difference approximation and the linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques is also provided to solve these SDLMIs. Finally, the developed design methodology is successfully applied to the feedback control of the Fitz-Hugh-Nagumo equation.     

Optimal control of convection–diffusion process with time-varying spatial domain: Czochralski crystal growth

This paper considers the optimal control of convection–diffusion systems modeled by parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) with time-dependent spatial domains for application to the crystal temperature regulation problem in the Czochralski (CZ) crystal growth process. The parabolic PDE model describing the temperature dynamics in the crystal region arising from the first principles continuum mechanics is defined on the time-varying spatial domain. The dynamics of the domain boundary evolution, which is determined by the mechanical subsystem pulling the crystal from the melt, are described by an ordinary differential equation for rigid body mechanics and unidirectionally coupled to the convection–diffusion process described by the PDE system. The representation of the PDE as an evolution system on an appropriate infinite-dimensional space is developed and the analytic expression and properties of the associated two-parameter semigroup generated by the nonautonomous operator are provided. The LQR control synthesis in terms of the two-parameter semigroup is considered. The optimal control problem setup for the PDE coupled with the finite-dimensional subsystem is presented and numerical results demonstrate the regulation of the two-dimensional crystal temperature distribution in the time-varying spatial domain.     

Non-linear feedback control of parabolic partial differential difference equation systems

This paper proposes a general method for the synthesis of non-linear output feedback controllers for single-input singleoutput quasi-linear parabolic partial differential difference equation (PDDE) systems, for which the eigenspectrum of the spatial differential operator can be partitioned into a finite-dimensional slow one and an infinite-dimensional stable fast complement. Initially, a non-linear model reduction scheme which is based on combination of Galerkin's method with the concept of approximate inertial manifold is employed for the derivation of differential difference equation (DDE) systems that describe the dominant dynamics of the PDDE system. Then, these DDE systems are used as the basis for the explicit construction of non-linear output feedback controllers through combination of geometric and Lyapunov techniques. The controllers guarantee stability and enforce output tracking in the closed-loop parabolic PDDE system independently of the size of the state delay, provided that the separation of the slow and fast eigenvalues of the spatial differential operator is sufficiently large and an appropriate matrix is positive definite. The methodology is successfully employed to stabilize the temperature profile of a tubular reactor with recycle at a spatially non-uniform unstable steadystate.     

切换非线性系统全局优化运行的经济预测控制

切换非线性系统在不同模式间平稳切换和经济切换是全局优化运行的主要需求.针对不同模式有限时域下控制算法可行域未必存在交集的系统,提出了对应的经济预测控制算法（Economic model predictive control,EMPC）及切换策略.切换发生时,该方法在实时优化层求解和更新可行中间点,并构造基于耗散的局部EMPC辅助性能指标,在考虑中间点稳定性问题上使其尽可能逼近原经济性能.在先进控制层,利用局部EMPC将状态逐次稳定至中间点,同时利用中间点问题得到的最优轨迹保证模式间的经济切换.最后,分析了切换过程的暂态经济性.该方法实际可操作性强,仿真结果说明了方法的有效性.     

Robust actuator fault isolation and management in constrained uncertain parabolic PDE systems

This paper presents a methodology for the design of an integrated robust fault detection and isolation (FDI) and fault-tolerant control (FTC) architecture for distributed parameter systems modeled by nonlinear parabolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) with time-varying uncertain variables, actuator constraints and faults. The design is based on an approximate finite-dimensional system that captures the dominant dynamics of the PDE system. Initially, an invertible coordinate transformation-obtained through judicious actuator placement-is used to transform the approximate system into a form where the evolution of each state is excited directly by only one actuator. For each state, a robustly stabilizing bounded feedback controller that achieves an arbitrary degree of asymptotic attenuation of the effect of uncertainty is then synthesized and its constrained stability region is explicitly characterized in terms of the constraints, the actuator locations and the size of the uncertainty. A key idea in the controller synthesis is to shape the fault-free closed-loop response of each state in a prescribed fashion that facilitates the derivation of (1) dedicated FDI residuals and thresholds for each actuator, and (2) an explicit characterization of the state-space regions where FDI can be performed under uncertainty and constraints. A switching law is then derived to orchestrate actuator reconfiguration in a way that preserves robust closed-loop stability following FDI. Precise FDI rules and control reconfiguration criteria that account for model reduction errors are derived for the implementation of the FDI-FTC structure on the distributed parameter system. Finally, the results are demonstrated using a tubular reactor example.