Input constrained adaptive tracking for a nonlinear distributed parameter tubular reactor

In this paper we address the problem of local λ tracking of a pre‐specified profile temperature for exothermic chemical reaction in a tubular reactor. In contrast to the various models in the literature, which are usually ordinary differential equations in finite‐dimensional spaces, we use a nonlinear distributed parameter model for both the evolution of the temperature and the reactant concentration. We show under nonrestrictive conditions that an adaptive output feedback controller achieves approximate asymptotic tracking where the pre‐specified asymptotic tracking accuracy, quantified by the design parameter λ>0, is guaranteed. Only a feasibility assumption in terms of the reference temperature and the input constraints is considered. Numerical simulations have been performed to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.