Real time monitoring and intelligent control for novel advanced microwave biodiesel reactor

In this paper, a comparison between intelligent controllers (Fuzzy Logic, Neuro-Fuzzy and Adaptive), when they applied for a novel advanced microwave biodiesel reactor to produce the biodiesel not from pure oil but also from waste cooking oil and fats. This novel microwave reactor is designed to be capable of operating at commercial production rates (kg/h) instead of laboratory scale (g/day), and reduces chemical reaction time, from hours under conventional heating, to minutes. In this reactor, as modern chemical process involves high temperatures, high pressures and catalysts so the process flow is very complicated. It is well known that traditional controllers cannot achieve a good performance when the process to be controlled is characterized by high nonlinearities and parameter uncertainties so it requires the efficient control to handle these multivariable problems as well as to adapt to time varying dynamics. The designed controllers were based on LabVIEW to automatically and continuously adjust the applied power of microwave reactor under different perturbations, and full system real time monitoring.

► Biodiesel: renewable fuel, produced by a reaction of vegetable oil or fats and methanol or ethanol. ► Novel Microwave Reactor: reduce reaction time from hours under conventional heating, to minutes. ► Novel Reactor: capable of operating at commercial production rates kg/h instead of scale g/day. ► Control: efficient control requires for the operational process and disturbance rejection. ► (Fuzzy, Neuro Fuzzy, Adaptive) Comparison: the controllers as intelligent if were done by human.