A recurrent neural network-based approach for joint chance constrained stochastic optimal control

Abstract

A recurrent neural network (RNN)-based approach is proposed in this paper to handle joint chance-constrained stochastic optimal control problems (SOCP) and stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) implementations. In the proposed approach, the joint chance constraint (JCC) in a SOCP is first reformulated as a quantile-based inequality. Then, the sample average approximation (SAA) method is used to build the RNN-based surrogate model for the quantile function. Afterwards, the RNN-based model is embedded into the probabilistic constraint of the SOCP. Subsequently, the SOCP involving the RNN-based model can be solved using a deterministic nonlinear optimization solver. Moreover, while applying the proposed approach to the SMPC, the SOCP involving the RNN-based model is solved repeatedly at different sampling instants, based on different initial system states. The proposed approach is applied to a numerical illustrating example and a chemical process case study to demonstrate its capability of handling the SOCP and the SMPC implementation.