Toolkit for plant system identification

For any control analysis it is desirable to be able to obtain a model of a process plant to allow complete off-line analysis with minimum interference to the process. The article concerns the development of the Plant System Identification (PSI) package, a software package for this purpose based on the work of R.M. Mercer and S.G. Mailey (1986). It simplifies the approach to identification such that a full understanding of sometimes complicated analyses is not required, and presents the use of analyses in a more readable, understandable and general manner. The PSI software has been developed to run on standard IBM PCs or compatibles, with a variety of graphics and printer drivers, and to interface with an industry standard, DAS 16, analogue input and output expansion card. The software presents the user with a range of modules, each containing a single menu which can perform a single stage of an identification process. An important stage in system identification process is the selection of the type and characteristics of the plant excitation signal and this is the subject of this paper