Nonlinear Predictive Control of processes with variable time delay. A temperature control case study

Material or fluid transportation is a commonly encountered phenomenon in industrial applications, generating variable time delay that makes the design of feedback control loops more difficult. This paper investigates the applicability of MPC (Model Predictive Control) strategies to this type of processes. The experimental setup consists of a heated tank, of which the outlet temperature (measured at a certain distance from the tank) is controlled by manipulating the outlet flow. The nonlinear EPSAC (Extended Prediction Self-Adaptive Control) approach is used, which reduces the complexity of nonlinear optimization to iterative quadratic programming. It is shown that developing a process model in which dynamics are decoupled from the variable time delay leads to a Smith predictor-like control structure, that allows the proper operation of the control loop with fixed control parameters. The performance of the predictive controller is compared on the pilot plant to the performance of classic control approaches for systems with time delay.