-Synthesis robust control of double-effect distillation columns

The control of double-effect distillation columns has been the subject of a great deal of research for the past few years. The preferred control tool used for distillation columns is the Proportional Plus Integral (PI). However, this technique requires a fairly accurate model and does not guarantee robust performance in the presence of modeling and other errors. Therefore, a control design technique that will account for the shortcomings of the dynamic model has to be used. The -synthesis technique has been proven to be a good tool to bridge the gap between the modeling and control design processes. Two controllers are designed for a double-effect distillation column using the -synthesis control design technique. The controllers are designed for the model derived by Al-Elg and Palazoglu (1989). The resultant work leads to a much better response for the HP and LP distillates as well as the LP and HP bottoms. Moreover, the designed controllers are robust to variations in the high frequency dynamics, actuation and input uncertainties, and noise.

-Synthesis robust control of double-effect distillation columns Academic Article