Limitations of Feedback, Feedforward and IMC Controller for a First Order Non-Linear Process with Dead Time

• Main Authors: Maruthai Suresh, Ranganathan Rani Hemamalini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IFSA Publishing, S.L. 2010-10-01
• Series: Sensors & Transducers
• Subjects: Non-linear process; IMC controller; Feedforward control; Feedback control; Dead time
• Online Access: http://www.sensorsportal.com/HTML/DIGEST/october_2010/P_698.pdf

A nonlinear process, the heat exchanger whose parameters vary with respect to the process variable, is considered. The time constant and gain of the chosen process vary as a function of temperature. The limitations of the conventional feedback controller tuned using Ziegler-Nichols settings for the chosen process are brought out. The servo and regulatory responses through simulation and experimentation for various magnitudes of set-point changes and load changes at various operating points with the controller tuned only at a chosen nominal operating point are obtained and analyzed. Regulatory responses for output load changes are studied. The efficiency of feedforward controller and the effects of modeling error have been brought out. An IMC based system is presented to understand clearly how variations of system parameters affect the performance of the controller. The present work illustrates the effectiveness of Feedforward and IMC controller.