Fractional-Order Control of Fluid Composition Conductivity

Abstract

Dialysis refers to the procedure of removing waste products and excess fluids from the blood stream. This is the main form of treatment for both acute and chronic renal failure. The need for hemodialysis process optimization is increasing. More than 10% of adults are affected by chronic kidney disease, and it is the nineth leading cause of deaths worldwide. Critically ill patients are particularly at risk, and their mortality is significantly affected by the hemodialysis procedures. This is the reason why the design and control of the hemodialysis process is studied by many researchers. The present paper proposes a fractional-order control of the fluid composition conductivity in this process. Fractional-order PI and PID controllers are designed with different imposed performances in order to establish the best performing controller for this medical process. The proposed fractional-order controllers are compared to the classical controller’s results in different real-world scenarios, including process parameter changes, flow changes, and priming sequences. The results are compared with a classical PID controller used in current clinical practice. The simulation results show the robustness and advantages of the proposed fractional-order PID controller over other controllers. These results could improve the clinical use of the hemodialysis process.