Fractional order integrator for the relay feedback identification of a process Nyquist point in the third quadrant

A fractional order integrator can be used for the relay feedback identification of a process Nyquist point in the third quadrant, and to implement the fractional order integrator, it is often approximated by integer order systems. Here, instead of the usual rational transfer function approximation of the fractional order integrator in the relay feedback system, a simple analytic method which utilizes the on-off characteristics of relay output is proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed method can find process Nyquist points in the third quadrant without worrying about the approximation errors and ranges of the fraction order integrator.