Adaptive Supervisory Predictive Control of a Hybrid Fed-Batch Reactor with Slow Actuator

Abstract

In this paper, adaptive supervisory predictive functional control is discussed for applications in a fed-batch reactor with slow continuous mixing valve, which acts as an actuator. The optimal operation regime of the reactor is to follow the reference trajectory without significant overshoot and to minimize the overall batch time. By adding the ingredients during the batch procedure, the volume in the reactor varies, tending to increase with time, as does the heat-transfer surface inside the reactor. This change causes variations in the batch-reactor dynamics, which can produce serious problems with the reactor's core-temperature control. Another problem that arises is the disturbance in the temperature inside the reactor, when additional ingredients added are at the outside temperature. In the pharmaceutical industry, a huge number of fed-batch reactors similar to ours are used for the production of drugs. The quality control is extremely strict, and it is necessary to follow the exact production recipe....