Control strategy for continuous lactic acid production from wheat flour

In this study, a control strategy for lactic acid production process from wheat flour is proposed. First, the process model to be used in the control strategy is chosen after performing an observability analysis of the system. Then, the optimal setpoint that maximizes the lactic acid productivity is determined based on this simplified model. Finally, the regulation of lactic acid concentration to its optimal value is considered. The designed control law uses a state-feedback linearizing controller in an inner loop together with a proportional integral (PI) regulator in an outer loop. An anti-windup mechanism is added in order to improve the control law performances. The efficiency of the proposed control strategy is illustrated and assessed by means of simulation results.