Control-system optimization

There are many ways to design a control system. Optimal eontrol is a method that has been aroimd since the 1950s and has seen a lot of successful applications, especially in the aerospace field. Adaptive control is a way of designing a control system to adjust to changes in the system that is being controlled. Fuzzy and neural control allow a designer to control a nonlinear system without having a mathematical model of the system. 

The systems shown in Fig. 7 are compared with Cr-containing control systems. Optimized coating systems aU performed well over 2000 h in the test, which is usually a typical requirement in the industry. The polyurethane-based system on AA 6061 even survived 4000 h in ASTM B-117 (Fig. 7d). This gives ample proof of that the modification of the resin matrix might be a key factor in order to make the Cr-free pigments work on metals in a similar way as the strontium chromate works in traditional coatings. 

Such a model can be developed to a new design to get a feedback (FB) and build up a quality control system for materials. This scheme also includes smart block (SB) for optimal control and generation of a feedback function (Figure 1). 

The conceptually simplest approach towards controlling systems by laser field is by teaching the field [188. 191. 192 and 193]. Typically, tire field is experimentally prepared as, for example, a sum of Gaussian pulses with variable height and positions. Each experiment gives an outcome which can be quantified. Consider, for example, an A + BC reaction where the possible products are AB + C and AC + B if the AB + C product is preferred one would seek to optimize the branching ratio... 

The KDF filter was first tested in prototype on a coal mine in northern Germany. It was installed in parallel with existing vacuum filters and it produced filter cakes consistendy lower in moisture content by 5 to 7% than the vacuum filters. Two production models have been installed and operated on a coal mine in Belgium. The filter is controlled by a specially developed computer system this consists of two computers, one monitoring the function of the filter and all of the detection devices installed, and the other controlling the filtration process. The system allows optimization of the performance, automatic start-up or shut-down, and can be integrated into the control system of the whole coal washing plant. 

In the context of chemometrics, optimization refers to the use of estimated parameters to control and optimize the outcome of experiments. Given a model that relates input variables to the output of a system, it is possible to find the set of inputs that optimizes the output. The system to be optimized may pertain to any type of analytical process, such as increasing resolution in hplc separations, increasing sensitivity in atomic emission spectrometry by controlling fuel and oxidant flow rates (14), or even in industrial processes, to optimize yield of a reaction as a function of input variables, temperature, pressure, and reactant concentration. The outputs ate the dependent variables, usually quantities such as instmment response, yield of a reaction, and resolution, and the input, or independent, variables are typically quantities like instmment settings, reaction conditions, or experimental media. 

Since the control calculations are based on optimizing control system performance, MFC can be readily integrated with on-line optimization strategies to optimize plant performance. 

A real-time optimization (RTO) system determines set point changes and implements them via the computer control system without intervention from unit operators. The RTO system completes all data transfer, optimization c culations, and set point implementation before unit conditions change and invahdate the computed optimum. In addition, the RTO system should perform all tasks without upsetting plant operations. Several steps are necessaiy for implementation of RTO, including determination of the plant steady state, data gathering and vahdation, updating of model parameters (if necessaiy) to match current operations, calculation of the new (optimized) set points, and the implementation of these set points. 

Some plants have been using computer control for 20 years. Control systems in industrial use typically consist of individual feedback and feedforward loops. Horst and Enochs [Engineering h- Mining]., 181(6), 69-171 (1980)] reported that installation of single-variable automatic controls improved performance of 20 mineral processing plants by 2 to 10 percent. But interactions among the processes make it difficult for independent controllers to control the circuit optimally. 

The safe operation of a chemical process requires continuous monitoring of the operation to stabilize the system, prevent deviations, and optimize system performance. This can be accomplished through the use of instrumentation/control systems, and through human intervention. The human element is discussed in Chapter 6. Proper operation requires a close interaction between the operators and the instrumentation/control system. To a large extent, batch operations have simple control systems and are frequently operated in the manual mode. The instrumentation system is the main source of information about the state of the process. Some of the typical functions of the instrumentation/control system are... 

A typical relay is shown in Figure 12.29(b). These relays can also be made digital to be connected to a central control system for close monitoring and control of a process. Now they can have much wider application, such as better communication and information feedback facilities, to optimize a process and maximize productivity. For more details refer to Section 13.2.. ) or contact the manufacturers. 

As a result of these poorly designed control systems, users experience significant operational problems, including machine and process shutdowns. As with any process plant, the first objective is to achieve reliable production from the FCCU. Only with reliable production will operators start optimizing the unit. Users, therefore, are not using the... 

The gas turbine is a complex system. A typical control system with hierarchic levels of automation is shown in Figure 19-3. The control system at the plant level consists of a D-CS system, which in many new installations is connected to a condition monitoring system and an optimization system. The D-CS system is what is considered to be a plant level system and is connected to the three machine level systems. It can, in some cases, also be connected to functional level systems such as lubrication systems and fuel handling systems. In those cases, it would give a signal of readiness from those systems to the machine level systems. The condition monitoring system... 

An optimal control system seeks to maximize the return from a system for the minimum cost. In general terms, the optimal control problem is to find a control u which causes the system... 

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