Fuzzy control of a CSTR process

Abstract

In recent years, the high demand for methods to satisfy process plants performance requirements has shed the light on the subject of process control. This subject has become increasingly important as a result of the large emphasis placed on environmental and safety regulations, plant efficiency and economic factors. The primary objective of process control is to maintain a process at the desire operating conditions safely and efficiently, while satisfying environment and product quality requirements [1]. The nonlinear nature of these processes requires other methods than conventional control. Fuzzy controllers are a practical alternative for such processes and provide human experts the ability to control the process by having intuitive understanding of it. Fuzzy controllers are knowledge-based controllers and do not involve or require a mathematical model of the process throughout its design and implementation. This paper addresses the application of fuzzy control to a continually stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The paper demonstrates the feasibility of this method in light of a highly nonlinear chemical process as such.