Process parameter estimation and temperature control of a reactor with high thermal inertia

Abstract

This paper presents temperature control of a reactor with high thermal inertia. The reactor chamber temperature is required to be critically controlled at 300°C. A non-linear thermodynamic model was developed, and process parameters were estimated to comply with experimental data by numerical optimization. A new feedback control structure is introduced and compared with conventional control systems by a simulation study. In practice, single sensor control system is the only possible option for this reactor. Optimal control trajectory of heater temperature was estimated. The heater control error with the optimal control trajectory and the control error of the reactor chamber are incorporated for the PI controller. The proposed controller performed well, and it gives minimum ISE (Integral Squares Error) value and also minimum overshoots compared to others.