Gain Scheduling Dual Mode MPC for a Solar Thermal Power Plant

A nonlinear gain scheduling control strategy is proposed for a concentrated solar thermal power plant. The strategy involves the identification of local linear time-invariant state space models around a family of operating points, the design of corresponding local linear dual mode model-based predictive controllers and the selection of an appropriate scheduling variable to govern the switching. The local models are estimated directly from input-output data using a subspace identification method while taking into account the frequency response of the plant. Input-output data are obtained from a nonlinear simulation model of the plant rather than the plant itself. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in terms of tracking and disturbance rejection is evaluated through two different scenarios created in a nonlinear simulation environment.