GPC and PI Controllers Applied to an Aerothermic Process

Abstract

The aerothermic process is a laboratory ventilation and heating system. It is assembled with a heating grate and fan systems, completely associated through the data acquisition system (Humusoft MF624) for real-time control. Its air temperature variable constitutes an element that must be operated for energy saving. In order to keep this variable around a desired value, this article presents an experimental comparison between generalized predictive control (GPC) and integral proportional controller (PI). Both techniques are designed using a model obtained from experimental online data. The effectiveness of two methods is demonstrated by an implementation on an aerothermic process. Experimental results show that the main control objectives, such as set-point tracking and the perturbation rejection, are well achieved. The obtained results in closed loop of the PI controller, are promising in comparison to those the GPC ones.