The control of multivariable processes in the presence of pure transport delays

This paper presents a digitally oriented technique for the control of processes in which a primary characteristic of the process is a set of pure transport delays associated with the input/output dynamics of the process. The paper is divided into two major sections: A section which formulates the continuous control problem into discrete form. Thus the problem becomes amenable to computational solution on a digital computer. A section which provides a theoretical solution to the minimum-finite-settling-time regulating problem. The development of the theory indicates the similarities between control of processes with and without pure transport delays. In this respect, the paper represents an extension of recent ideas presented in the area of multivariable saturating systems.