Model reduction and control of multi-scale reaction–convection processes

This paper focuses on non-isothermal plug flow reactors with fast and slow reactions. These processes are modeled by first order hyperbolic partial differential equations with large and small parameters, which results in stiffness and multi-scale behavior. Through a combination of the method of characteristics and singular perturbation techniques, a model reduction method is developed for obtaining a non-stiff representation of the dominant dynamics of these systems. The application of the method and the advantages of using the reduced models for model-based control are illustrated through a case study.