Difference-based nonlinear control designs of a reduced-order tubular reactor system

This article deals with output regulation of an exothermic tubular reactor system. Based on model order reduction and a specified coil apparatus for heat removal, a finite difference-based nonlinear model with single manipulated input can be developed. Under the difference-based feedback linearization strategy associated with Lyapunov stability analysis, the developed low-order state/output feedback controllers can induce asymptotic output regulation. Moreover, the output feedback control scheme together with anti-windup compensation can reduce the controller saturation and provide satisfactory control performance. Simulations clearly demonstrate that the proposed control methodologies with a fast coil flow rate condition can recover the desired temperature performance, and that they are also robust against the presence of unstructured modeling errors.