Model predictive control of reactive distillation for benzene hydrogenation

Benzene hydrogenation via reactive distillation is a process that has been widely adopted in the process industry. However, studies in the open literature on control of this process are rare and seem to indicate that conventional decentralized PI control results in sluggish responses when the reactive distillation column is subjected to disturbances in the feed concentration. In order to overcome this performance limitation, this work investigates model predictive control (MPC) strategies of a reactive distillation column model, which has been implemented in gPROMS. Several MPCs based upon different sets of manipulated and controlled variables are investigated where the remaining variables remain under regular feedback control. Further, MPC controllers with output disturbance correction and, separately, with input disturbance correction have been investigated. The results show that the settling time of the column can be reduced and the closed loop dynamics significantly improved for the system under MPC control compared to a decentralized PI control structure.     

Disturbance observer based multi-variable control of ball mill grinding circuits

Ball mill grinding circuits are essentially multi-variable systems characterized with couplings, time-varying parameters and time delays. The control schemes in previous literatures, including detuned multi-loop PID control, model predictive control (MPC), robust control, adaptive control, and so on, demonstrate limited abilities in control ball mill grinding process in the presence of strong disturbances. The reason is that they do not handle the disturbances directly by controller design. To this end, a disturbance observer based multi-variable control (DOMC) scheme is developed to control a two-input-two-output ball mill grinding circuit. The systems considered here are with lumped disturbances which include external disturbances, such as the variations of ore hardness and feed particle size, and internal disturbances, such as model mismatches and coupling effects. The proposed control scheme consists of two compound controllers, one for the loop of product particle size and the other for the loop of circulating load. Each controller includes a PI feedback part and a feed-forward compensation part for the disturbances by using a disturbance observer (DOB). A rigorous analysis is also given to show the reason why the DOB can effectively suppress the disturbances. Performance of the proposed scheme is compared with those of the MPC and multi-loop PI schemes in the cases of model mismatches and strong external disturbances, respectively. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method has a better disturbance rejection property than those of the MPC and PI methods in controlling ball mill grinding circuits.     

内模强化学习型模型预测控制及其在人工胰脏上的应用

在学习型模型预测控制的框架里,迭代学习控制器被用来更新模型预测控制器的设定点.在已经发表的研究成果里,学习型模型预测控制用到的是比例型的学习率,这种学习率的学习能力有限,而且怎样设计学习增益仍然是一个开放性问题.在本文中,基于内模控制理论提出的PID型的迭代学习控制器被用来更新模型预测控制器的设定点.为了方便起见,本文提出的结合算法可称为内模强化学习型模型预测控制.本文提出的算法应用在(1)型糖尿病人的人工胰脏闭环控制上.仿真结果显示,本算法对比于比例学习型模型预测控制可以达到更好的收敛性能,而且对非重复干扰有很好的鲁棒性.     

Multi-stage nonlinear model predictive control applied to a semi-batch polymerization reactor under uncertainty

Model predictive control (MPC) has become one of the most popular control techniques in the process industry mainly because of its ability to deal with multiple-input–multiple-output plants and with constraints. However, in the presence of model uncertainties and disturbances its performance can deteriorate. Therefore, the development of robust MPC techniques has been widely discussed during the last years, but they were rarely, if at all, applied in practice due to the conservativeness or the computational complexity of the approaches. In this paper, we present multi-stage NMPC as a promising robust non-conservative nonlinear model predictive control scheme. The approach is based on the representation of the evolution of the uncertainty by a scenario tree, and leads to a non-conservative robust control of the uncertain plant because the adaptation of future inputs to new information is taken into account. Simulation results show that multi-stage NMPC outperforms standard and min–max NMPC under the presence of uncertainties for a semi-batch polymerization benchmark problem. In addition, the advantages of the approach are illustrated for the case where only noisy measurements are available and the unmeasured states and the uncertainties have to be estimated using an observer. It is shown that better performance can be achieved than by estimating the unknown parameters online and adapting the plant model.     

Real‐time model predictive control based on dual gradient projection: Theory and fixed‐point FPGA implementation

This paper proposes a method to design robust model predictive control (MPC) laws for discrete‐time linear systems with hard mixed constraints on states and inputs, in case of only an inexact solution of the associated quadratic program is available, because of real‐time requirements. By using a recently proposed dual gradient‐projection algorithm, it is proved that the discrepancy of the optimal control law as compared with the obtained one is bounded even if the solver is implemented in fixed‐point arithmetic. By defining an alternative MPC problem with tightened constraints, a feasible solution is obtained for the original MPC problem, which guarantees recursive feasibility and asymptotic stability of the closed‐loop system with respect to a set including the origin, also considering the presence of external disturbances. The proposed MPC law is implemented on a field‐programmable gate array in order to show the practical applicability of the method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于高阶观测器和干扰补偿控制的模型预测控制方法

针对状态不可测、外部干扰未知, 并且状态和输入受限的离散时间线性系统, 将高阶观测器、干扰补偿控制与标准模型预测控制(Model predictive control, MPC)相结合, 提出了一种新的MPC方法. 首先利用高阶观测器同步观测未知状态和干扰, 使得观测误差一致有界收敛;然后基于该干扰估计值设计新的干扰补偿控制方法, 并将该方法与基于状态估计的标准MPC相结合, 实现上述系统的优化控制. 所提出的MPC方法克服了利用现有MPC方法求解具有外部干扰和状态约束的优化控制问题时存在无可行解的局限, 能够保证系统状态在每一时刻都满足约束条件, 并且使系统的输出响应接近采用标准MPC方法控制线性标称系统时得到的输出响应. 最后, 将所提控制方法应用到船舶航向控制系统中, 仿真结果表明了所提方法的有效性和优越性.     

Adaptive receding horizon predictive control for constrained discrete-time linear systems with parameter uncertainties

This paper proposes a discrete-time model predictive control (MPC) scheme combined with an adaptive mechanism. To this end, first, an adaptive parameter estimation algorithm suitable for MPC is proposed, which uses the available input and output signals to estimate the unknown system parameters. It enables the prediction of a monotonically decreasing worst-case estimation error bound over the prediction horizon of MPC. These distinctive features allow for future model improvement to be explicitly considered in MPC. Thus, a less conservative adaptive-type MPC controller can be developed based on the proposed estimation method. Second, we show how the discrete-time adaptive-type state-feedback MPC controller is constructed by combining the on-line parameter estimation scheme with a modified robust MPC method based on the comparison model. The developed MPC controller guarantees feasibility and stability of the closed-loop system theoretically in the presence of input and state constraints. A numerical example is given to demonstrate its effectiveness.     

一类离散不确定系统的Tube不变集离线鲁棒模型预测控制

针对一类输入和状态受限的离散线性不确定系统,提出了一种基于Tube不变集的离线鲁棒模型预测控制方法.首先针对输入和状态约束线性时不变标准系统,设计了改进的基于多面体不变集的离线模型预测控制算法,并证明了稳定性.其次对于存在未知有界干扰的实际不确定系统,引入了Tube不变集策略,通过设计对应标准模型的最优控制序列和状态轨迹,给出了实际不确定系统的离线Tube不变集控制策略,保证系统状态鲁棒渐近稳定,并收敛于终端干扰不变集.仿真结果验证了该控制方法的有效性.     

Adaptive air-fuel ratio control with MLP network

This paper presents an application of adaptive neural network model-based predictive control (MPC) to the air-fuel ratio of an engine simulation. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network is trained using two on-line training algorithms: a back propagation algorithm and a recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm. It is used to model parameter uncertainties in the nonlinear dynamics of internal combustion (IC) engines. Based on the adaptive model, an MPC strategy for controlling air-fuel ratio is realized, and its control performance compared with that of a traditional PI controller. A reduced Hessian method, a newly developed sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method for solving nonlinear programming (NLP) problems, is implemented to speed up nonlinear optimization in the MPC.     

Adaptive control Lyapunov function based model predictive control for continuous nonlinear systems

A design of adaptive model predictive control (MPC) based on adaptive control Lyapunov function (aCLF) is proposed in this article for nonlinear continuous systems with part of its dynamics being unknown at the starting time. Specifically, to guarantee the convergence of the closed-loop system with online predictive model updating, a stability constraint is designed. It limits the aCLF of the system under the MPC to be less than that under an online updated auxiliary adaptive control. The auxiliary adaptive control which implements in a sampling-hold fashion can guarantee the convergence of the controlled system. The sufficient conditions that guarantee the states to be steered to a small region near the equilibrium by the proposed MPC are provided. The calculation of the proposed algorithm does not depend on the model mismatch at the starting time. And it does not require the Lyapunov function of the state of the real system always to be reduced at each time. These provide the potential to improve the performance of the closed-loop system. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated through a chemical process example.     

Distributed model predictive control of linear systems with persistent disturbances

This article presents a new form of robust distributed model predictive control (MPC) for multiple dynamically decoupled subsystems, in which distributed control agents exchange plans to achieve satisfaction of coupling constraints. The new method offers greater flexibility in communications than existing robust methods, and relaxes restrictions on the order in which distributed computations are performed. The local controllers use the concept of tube MPC – in which an optimisation designs a tube for the system to follow rather than a trajectory – to achieve robust feasibility and stability despite the presence of persistent, bounded disturbances. A methodical exploration of the trades between performance and communication is provided by numerical simulations of an example scenario. It is shown that at low levels of inter-agent communication, distributed MPC can obtain a lower closed-loop cost than that obtained by a centralised implementation. A further example shows that the flexibility in communications means the new algorithm has a relatively low susceptibility to the adverse effects of delays in computation and communication.     

Backstepping control integrated with Lyapunov-based model predictive control

In this study, backstepping control integrated with Lyapunov-based model predictive control (BS-MPC) is proposed for nonlinear systems in a strict-feedback form. The virtual input of the first step is designed by solving the finite-horizon optimal control problem (FHOCP), and the real input is designed by the backstepping method. BS-MPC guarantees (semiglobal) ultimate boundedness of the closed-loop system when the control is implemented in a zero-order hold manner. When the robustness of BS-MPC is analyzed for uniformly bounded disturbances, the ultimate boundedness of the solution of perturbed system is guaranteed. BS-MPC can provide a better desired value of the virtual input of the first step by solving the FHOCP, resulting in a faster stabilization of the system compared with the backstepping control. In addition, BS-MPC requires less computational load compared with MPC because the dimension of the states considered in the on-line optimization problem of BS-MPC is lower than that of MPC.     

Tube-based robust economic model predictive control

In this paper, we develop a tube-based economic MPC framework for nonlinear systems subject to unknown but bounded disturbances. Instead of simply transferring the design procedure of tube-based stabilizing MPC to an economic MPC framework, we rather propose to consider the influence of the disturbance explicitly within the design of the MPC controller, which can lead to an improved closed-loop average performance. This will be done by using a specifically defined integral stage cost, which is the key feature of our proposed robust economic MPC algorithm. Furthermore, we show that the algorithm enjoys similar properties as a nominal economic MPC algorithm (i.e., without disturbances), in particular with respect to bounds on the asymptotic average performance of the resulting closed-loop system, as well as stability and optimal steady-state operation.     

Fault diagnosis and accommodation of nonlinear systems based on multiple-model adaptive unscented Kalman filter and switched MPC and H-infinity loop-shaping controller

In this paper, a new active fault tolerant control (AFTC) methodology is proposed based on a state estimation scheme for fault detection and identification (FDI) to deal with the potential problems due to possible fault scenarios. A bank of adaptive unscented Kalman filters (AUKFs) is used as a core of FDI module. The AUKF approach alleviates the inflexibility of the conventional UKF due to constant covariance set up, leading to probable divergence. A fuzzy-based decision making (FDM) algorithm is introduced to diagnose sensor and/or actuator faults. The proposed FDI approach is utilized to recursively correct the measurement vector and the model used for both state estimation and output prediction in a model predictive control (MPC) formulation. Robustness of the proposed FTC system, H_∞ optimal robust controller and MPC are combined via a fuzzy switch that is used for switching between MPC and robust controller such that FTC system is able to maintain the offset free behavior in the face of abrupt changes in model parameters and unmeasured disturbances. This methodology is applied on benchmark three-tank system; the proposed FTC approach facilitates recovery of the closed loop performance after the faults have been isolated leading to an offset free behavior in the presence of sensor/actuator faults that can be either abrupt or drift change in biases. Analysis of the simulation results reveals that the proposed approach provides an effective method for treating faults (biases/drifts in sensors/actuators, changes in model parameters and unmeasured disturbances) under the unified framework of robust fault tolerant control.     

Incorporating state estimation into model predictive control and its application to network traffic control

Model predictive control (MPC) is of interest because it is one of the few control design methods which preserves standard design variables and yet handles constraints. MPC is normally posed as a full-state feedback control and is implemented in a certainty-equivalence fashion with best estimates of the states being used in place of the exact state. This paper focuses on exploring the inclusion of state estimates and their interaction with constraints. It does this by applying constrained MPC to a system with stochastic disturbances. The stochastic nature of the problem requires re-posing the constraints in a probabilistic form. Using a gaussian assumption, the original problem is approximated by a standard deterministically-constrained MPC problem for the conditional mean process of the state. The state estimates’ conditional covariances appear in tightening the constraints. ‘Closed-loop covariance’ is introduced to reduce the infeasibility and the conservativeness caused by using long-horizon, open-loop prediction covariances. The resulting control law is applied to a telecommunications network traffic control problem as an example.     

Chance-constrained model predictive control for spacecraft rendezvous with disturbance estimation

A robust Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is used to solve the problem of spacecraft rendezvous, using the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire model with additive disturbances and line-of-sight constraints. Since a standard (non-robust) MPC is not able to cope with disturbances, a robust MPC is designed using a chance-constrained approach for robust satisfaction of constraints in a probabilistic sense. Disturbances are modeled as Gaussian allowing for an explicit transformation of the probabilistic constraints into simple algebraic constraints. To estimate the distribution parameters a predictor of disturbances is proposed. Both robust and non-robust MPC control laws are compared using the Monte Carlo method, which shows the superiority of the robust MPC.     

Robust MPC for systems with output feedback and input saturation

In this work, it is proposed an MPC control algorithm with proved robust stability for systems with model uncertainty and output feedback. It is assumed that the operating strategy is such that system inputs may become saturated at transient or steady state. The developed strategy aims at the case in which the controller performs in the output-tracking scheme following an optimal set point that is provided by an upper optimization layer of the plant control structure. In this case, the optimal operating point usually lies at the boundary of the region where the input is defined. Assuming that the system remains stabilizable in the presence of input saturation, the design of the robust controller is performed off-line and an on-line implementation strategy is proposed. At each sampling step, a sub optimal control law is obtained by combining control configurations that correspond to particular subsets of available manipulated inputs. Stability of the closed-loop system is forced by considering in the off-line step of the controller design, a state contracting restriction for the closed-loop system. To produce an offset free controller and to attend the case of unknown steady state, the method is developed for a state-space model in the incremental form. The method is illustrated with simulation examples extracted from the process industry.     

High-order Volterra Model Predictive Control and its application to a nonlinear polymerisation process

Model Predictive Control (MPC) has recently found wide acceptance in the process industry, but existing design and implementation methods are restricted to linear process models. A chemical process, however, involves severe nonlinearity which cannot be ignored in practice. This paper aims to solve this nonlinear control problem by extending MPC to accommodate nonlinear models. It develops an analytical framework for nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC). It also offers a third-order Volterra series based nonparametric nonlinear modelling technique for NMPC design, which relieves practising engineers from the need for deriving a physical-principles based model first. An on-line realisation technique for implementing NMPC is then developed and applied to a Mitsubishi Chemicals polymerisation reaction process. Results show that this nonlinear MPC technique is feasible and very effective. It considerably outperforms linear and low-order Volterra model based methods. The advantages of the developed approach lie not only in control performance superior to existing NMPC methods, but also in eliminating the need for converting an analytical model and then convert it to a Volterra model obtainable only up to the second order.     

MPC for tracking with optimal closed-loop performance

In the recent paper [Limon, D., Alvarado, I., Alamo, T., & Camacho, E.F. (2008). MPC for tracking of piece-wise constant references for constrained linear systems. Automatica, 44, 2382-2387], a novel predictive control technique for tracking changing target operating points has been proposed. Asymptotic stability of any admissible equilibrium point is achieved by adding an artificial steady state and input as decision variables, specializing the terminal conditions and adding an offset cost function to the functional.In this paper, the closed-loop performance of this controller is studied and it is demonstrated that the offset cost function plays an important role in the performance of the model predictive control (MPC) for tracking. Firstly, the controller formulation has been enhanced by considering a convex, positive definite and subdifferential function as the offset cost function. Then it is demonstrated that this formulation ensures convergence to an equilibrium point which minimizes the offset cost function. Thus, in case of target operation points which are not reachable steady states or inputs for the constrained system, the proposed control law steers the system to an admissible steady state (different to the target) which is optimal with relation to the offset cost function. Therefore, the offset cost function plays the role of a steady-state target optimizer which is built into the controller. On the other hand, optimal performance of the MPC for tracking is studied and it is demonstrated that under some conditions on both the offset and the terminal cost functions optimal closed-loop performance is locally achieved.     

Using MPC to control middle-vessel continuous distillation columns

The use of model predictive control (MPC) in middle-vessel continuous distillation column (MVCC) is discussed. It is shown that using a 5 × 5 MPC implementation (where all levels are included in MPC as integral process variables) allows using a smaller middle-vessel, particularly when disturbances can be measured: a good performance is ensured without having the middle vessel drained or overfilled. Also, it is shown that MPC practically circumvents the issue of tuning the middle-vessel level controller. Furthermore, the MVCC design makes conventional decentralised control perform comparably to MPC.