Event-based selective control strategy for raceway reactor: A simulation study*

This work presents a simulation study of an event-based selective control strategy for a raceway reactor. The control system aims are to maintain simultaneously a pH and dissolved oxygen within specific limits. In the analyzed control scheme, the pH value is prioritized over the dissolved oxygen, since it has a critical influence on the process performance. Besides, the dissolved oxygen also influences the photosynthesis rate and should be kept within the limits. The control structure is evaluated through simulation, where a nonlinear model for microalgae culture in the raceway photobioreactor is used. Analysis of different configurations allows to determine the most adequate control system setup to achieve the desired goals. The obtained results show that combination of an event-based approach with selective control allows to increase the overall productivity as well as to address effective CO2 utilization and aeration system energy minimization.