Nonlinear parametric predictive control for the temperature control of bench-scale batch reactor

The present contribution proposes a new strategy for temperature control of a bench-scaled batch reactor equipped with a mono-fluid heating/cooling system. A cascade-like nonlinear parametric predictive control structure combined with a predictive functional control concept is presented. First principle models of the thermal flux related to heat transfer in the pilot plant were developed. To demonstrate the performance of the control methodology, experimental results are presented. The developed controllers were first tested in a simulated environment and then in the field. The controller demonstrates a remarkable capacity to deal with process nonlinearities and to drive the plant more closely along a desired temperature reference trajectory. The success of the proposed controller technique as a process control paradigm for temperature has been demonstrated, and the implemented controller algorithm can be adapted easily to other heat transfer processes in industrial applications.