Automated synthesis of control configurations for process networks based on structural coupling

•Use the concept of relative degree to synthesize control configurations with favorable structural coupling.•Propose an integer optimization formulation to synthesize fully decentralized control configurations.•Propose a hierarchical clustering procedure to generate block decentralized configuration candidates.•Illustrate the application of the method to a complex process network.

In this paper, a method to systematically synthesize control configurations with favorable structural coupling is developed, using relative degree as a measure of such coupling. Initially, an integer optimization problem is formulated to identify optimal distributions of inputs and outputs (decentralized control configurations) that minimize the overall structural coupling in the network. Then, a hierarchical clustering procedure, which allows identifying groups of inputs and outputs that are strongly connected topologically (block decentralized control configurations), is proposed. The application of the method is illustrated through an example process network.