Self-tuning and stable adaptive control of a batch polymerization reactor

Two adaptive control techniques are evaluated by application to a realistic mathematical model of a suspension polyvinyl chloride (PVC) reactor. Both techniques, the self-tuning regulator and a globally stable adaptive control algorithm, prove to be very robust and give excellent control of the temperature or the rate of conversion in the PVC reactor by manipulating the heat removal rate from the reactor jacket. Satisfactory regulation and setpoint changes in the temperature and the conversion rate are obtained in each case even in the presence of measurement noise and highly nonlinear reactor dynamics. The performance of the two adaptive techniques is compared with the performance of a classical, PID controller. The adaptive controllers are shown to always outperform the PID controller.