Controllability and prediction-free control of coupled transport processes viewed as linear systems with distributed delays

The solution of transport equations results in functional differential equations with time-delays. This papers deals with the control of linear systems with lumped and distributed delays that represent a coupled system of transport processes and ordinary differential equations. These time-delay systems can be viewed as modules over a ring of entire functions. It is shown that spectral controllability and freeness of the module over an associated ring are necessary and sufficient for the module to be free. Using a module basis, a flatness-based tracking controller is derived that is infinite-dimensional, in general, due to the distributed delays. However, no (explicit) predictions are required to assign a finite spectrum to the delay system. Two examples illustrate the results, one of which being a neutral type system.