MPC as control strategy for pasta drying processes

Jeroen de Temmerman (1) , Pascal Dufour (2) , Bart Nicolaï (1) , Herman Ramon (1)

1 KU Leuven - Catholic University of Leuven = Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
2 LAGEP - Laboratoire d'automatique et de génie des procédés

This study focuses on the drying process of pasta in a convectional air drying oven. A model predictive control algorithm is designed, based on a dynamic model describing the mass transfer between pasta and the surrounding air. The multiple input single output control algorithm minimizes a cost function over a prediction horizon which represents the deviation of the process from a desired reference track, thereby incorporating the working limitations of the oven. The performance of the controller and the influence of the prediction horizon are examined in this paper, showing minimal deviation between process and reference track.

Mots clés: drying process; model predictive control; nonlinear distributed parameter system; first principle model; moisture content

Domaines: Automatique / Robotique; Génie des procédés

Jeroen de Temmerman, Pascal Dufour, Bart Nicolaï, Herman Ramon. MPC as control strategy for pasta drying processes. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2009, 33 (1), pp.50-57. ⟨10.1016/j.compchemeng.2008.06.004⟩. ⟨hal-00350086v2⟩