Substrate Control of Biotechnical Fedbatch Processes Robustness and the Role of Adaptivity

Abstract

Results from experiments on laboratory scale fedbatch processes are presented as well as analysis and design of the control system. The main reason for control is to track the drastic growth in feed demand during a cultivation. Variations in the amount and quality of the inocculum makes precalculated dosage schemes of limited value to obtain reproducible cultivation conditions. Two processes have been studied on a laboratory scale, production of bakers’ yeast, and production of the enzyme salicylate hydroxylase using a strain of bacteria. Direct measurement was used to monitor the feed demand. A regulator structure is proposed based on an observer for the exponentially growing feed demand. It can be viewed as a modified PID regulator around a dosage scheme, but it is less sensitive to errors in the dosage scheme than conventional PID control. The a priori knowledge of the feed profile is further relaxed by introduction of adaptation of the growth rate parameter. The obtained non-linear control system has a simple structure and stability is garanteed for a wide range of initial values using the technique of Liapunov function. The linearized system is analysed in the frequency domain and the adaptation is shown to have negligible influence on the loop phase margin. The adaptive regulator is tested in simulation against real feed profiles and shows good results.