Control scheme selection and optimal tuning in industrial process control using factorial experiment design

Abstract

In this study, a novel experimental approach for the optimal selection of an actuator-based control strategy is presented. The proposed approach is a two-stage method: first, a two-level factorial experiment design with n factors (2n) was applied to compare different control schemes. Schemes comparison was carried out in terms of energy consumption and closed-loop performance. For the best relative scheme, a Central Composite Face-centered (CCF) design was completed obtaining the controller parameters that optimize the performance in terms of the Integral Absolute Error (IAE) while operating in a region of low energy consumption. The proposed approach was experimentally tested using real data obtained from a laboratory prototype plant. Some experimental tests illustrating the suitability of our method are shown at the end of this article.