Enhanced performance of PID controllers for unstable time delay systems using direct synthesis method

Abstract

ABSTRACT Design proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers for unstable first-order plus time delay (FOPTD) and unstable second-order plus time delay (SOPTD) systems with/without a zero is proposed by direct synthesis method. For unstable FOPTD system, a series PID controller is considered. The derivative time of series PID controller is made equal to 0.5 times time delay to cancel the numerator zero with the pole of the loop transfer function (product of process transfer function and controller transfer function). The reduced characteristic equation is compared with the desired characteristic equation to get PI settings. The conventional PID controller parameters are obtained from series PID controller. For unstable SOPTD systems, PID controller with a first-order lead/lag compensator is considered. The controllers designed by the proposed method are implemented on various transfer function models, nonlinear model equations of bioreactor and on inverted pendulum (IP) set-up to show the efficiency of the proposed method. The performance of the proposed controllers is compared with the controllers reported in the recent literature in terms of IAE. The robustness of the controller is determined by the maximum magnitude of sensitivity function, phase margin and gain margin.