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FUZZY CONTROL OF A DISTILLATION COLUMN

R. Ait Ali Yahia Department of Instrumentation Algerian Petroleum Institute ( I A P) Avenue du premier Novembre , Boumerdes ALGERIA M.S Boucherit Automatics Department E N P A, El Harrach , Alger , ALGERIA
Abstract: - Since the coming of distributed control systems ( DCS ) and process computer in chemical process , great advances have been registered in the application to actual processes of advanced control systems such as dead-time compensatory control, adaptive control, multivariable control, and more recently neural and fuzzy control. Our work will emphasis on a multivariable system which represent a dynamic model of a simulated multicomponent distillation column . This simulated column will be used as a real column . The control objective is to keep the temperatures of a top and bottom plate of the column at desired values.

Key-Words: - Fuzzy control, Optimal control, Multivariable systems, Process modelling, Distillation column

1 Introduction
In recent years, fuzzy control has been proposed as an alternative approach to traditional control techniques , and many successful application of fuzzy control has been reported. Many articles have investigated different methods of tuning fuzzy controller [1]-[5] , but the fact remains that tuning a fuzzy controller is more difficult than tuning a conventional controller. The purpose of this paper is to try to adapt linear methods of control to fuzzy control . Our work will emphasis on a multivariable system which represent a dynamic model of a simulated distillation column First a linear approach is proposed to control this system . Then the linear controllers are replaced by fuzzy controllers and methods derived from linear methods of control are used to tune the corresponding fuzzy controllers.

plate to which vapour feed and liquid feed are introduced. Vapour and liquid product are taken off the reflux drum and are in equilibrium. The control objective is to keep the temperature of a top and a bottom plate at desired values . This is done by two temperature recorder controllers located in the top and in the bottom loop as mentioned in figure 1. For the two loop we use PI ( proportional plus reset ) controllers. The control variables used will be the reboiler heat input Q and the reflux flow rate R of the column. The feed value F will be used as the load variable change. The figure 2 indicate the general form of the considered plant using block transfer function representation. We can see in this figure the top and the bottom temperature loop s with their corresponding temperature recorder controllers. The interactions between the two loops are also represented.

2 Presentation of the studied plant


We have chosen this following plant :

Fig. distillation column studied is a non ideal The 1: Distillation column column with five components. There is one feed

Fig. 2: Block diagram of the plant In process modelling a detailed analysis was carried out using pulse and step testing to

provide response data. The data was analysed to determine the following model for the column.

(1)

Where Tc1 represent the reflux flow rate R of the column or the desired value of the top plate temperature ( set point ) change . In the other hand Tc2 represent the reboiler heat input Q or the desired value of the bottom plate temperature ( set point ) change. The manipulated variables are the top plate temperature Tm1 and the bottom plate temperature Tm2 .

Fig. 4 a: Step response for the bottom plate . Here below we have the responses of the two loops for a load variable change FL of 20 %

3 Conventional control
Equation ( 1 ) indicate that a change in Tc1 or Tc2 will affect both controlled outputs Tm1 and Tm2. Using the RGA method [1] , we found a interaction between the two loops. We introduce to our system special new elements called decouplers. The purpose of decouplers is to cancel the interaction effects between the two loops and thus render two no-interacting control loops. The new system with the decouplers is represented in figure 3.

Fig. 4 b: Step response for the top plate . Here below we have the responses of the two loops for a load variable change FL of 20 %

Fig. 3: Block diagram with two decouplers. The equations of the two decouplers are :

Fig. 5 a:

Response of the bottom plate for a load variable change.

(2)
The values of the proportional gain K and the integral time constant Ti of the bottom and the top plate controllers are calculated using the integral of the square error criteria [1]. Now, using the decouplers, and the optimal parameters for the two controllers and conducting a simple software simulation study we find for a step input testing the two following bottom and top plate responses represented in figure 5.

Fig. 5 b:

Response of the top plate

Fuzzy control

4.1 Fuzzy controller presentation


Now we will consider our system with fuzzy control concept [4,9]. In this part we will first describe how a fuzzy controller looks like. We can see in figure 7 the representation of a fuzzy controller.

1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0

NB

NS

ZE

SP

PB

-1

-0.6

-0.2

0.2

0.6

Fig.7b : Membership functions trapezoidal form Then the ranges of discourse of the error e , the change in error e, and the change in output u are generally quantified into 3, 5 (in figure 7) , or 7 qualifiers. In a fuzzy decision a certain number of rules are established. Each rule relates an observed state to the corresponding control output. Thus to ensure powerful control, the set of rules have to describe all the situations that the process meet, this means that all the possible combinations of the input qualifiers are to be considered. Before going to the deffuzification part, we will analyse the logic mechanisms needed to design the process command. These mechanisms are the correlation procedure and the inference procedure. In the correlation procedure one may use the max-min or the sum-prod method [4]. In the inference procedure we may use the max-min, the max-prod, or the sum-prod method[g].The deffuzification [6] consist of producing a numerical action that best represent the action distribution of an inferred fuzzy control. For that we use the maximum, the mean of he maximum or the centroid method. The widely used is the centroid strategy. 4.2 Control structure We will use the control structure presented in figure 8.

Fig. 6:

Representation of a fuzzy controller.

For this fuzzy controller we have the error e, the change in error e and the change in output u. Beside that we also have the input and the output scaling done by the scale factors Se and Sd for the input, and the scale factor Su for the output. These scale factors define the range of discourse of e , e , and u. They are related to the scale factors [9] of the linear controller by the following formulas : K = Su/Sd and We also have : - Se e Se , Ti = Se/Sd (5)

-Sd e Sd

Su u Su (6) then we have the fuzzification , the fuzzy decision, and the deffuzification. The fuzzification consist of changing the type of data from a numerical one to an ordinal one by using qualifiers coding that are generally expressed in linguistic terms. These qualifiers are fuzzy sets of the range of the discourse and may be written with membership functions with different forms such as triangular, trapezoidal and others . An names such as ZE, PS, PM, PB, NS, NM, NB, are generally used to define these qualifiers. For each numerical value one may associate a grade of membership to a considered qualifier. In fuzzy PI controllers we generally use as shown in figure 7 the triangular or the trapezoidal forms.
1 0 .8 0 .6 0 .4 N B N S Z E P S P B

Fig. : 8 Fuzzy control structure. The control structure proposed is the same as the structure represented in figure 3. In this structure we use two fuzzy controllers and two fuzzy supervisors S1 and S2 instead of the two decouplers. For the supervisors , the idea is to insert two fuzzy logic based controllers S1 and S2

Fig.7a0: Membership functions triangular form


-1 -0 .6 -0 .2 0 .2 0 .6 1

0.2

at the output of both fuzzy controllers ( RLF ).We can call them supervisors which have to adapt the top and the bottom temperature controls in order to isolate the top and the bottom loop. The two supervisors will have one input and one output. For there characteristics , we choose the triangular shape for the membership functions, and the gravity centres for the method of defuzzification. The max-min method is used for the correlation and the inference procedure. The matrix of rule is showed in figure 9

Fig. 11a: Step response for the bottom plate.

Fig. 9: Inference table for the supervisor For the two PI fuzzy controllers , we have two inputs the error e and the change in error e, and one output. We also used the triangular shape for the membership functions and the gravity centre for the method of defuzzification. The max-min method is used for the correlation and for the inference procedure . The matrix of rule used was Mac vicar- wheland matrix [2] , it is showed in figure 10.

Fig. 11b: Step response for the top plate Here below we have the responses of the two loops for a load variable change FL of 20 %

Fig. 12a: Response of the bottom plate for a load variable change

Fig. 10: Inference table for the RLF 4.3 Tuning scaling factors To tune the scaling factors of the fuzzy controllers two approaches are proposed : In the first approach we will take the optimum values of K and Ti of the linear controllers; then choosing a considered range Se of the error ,and using equation 5 we will compute the values of the scale parameters Sd and Su. Using these values of the scaling parameters for the first structure with decouplers we will find for a step input testing the two following top and bottom plate responses represented in figure 11.

Fig. 12b: Response of the top plate for a load variable change The responses for the load variable change show better effectiveness it terms of responsiveness and stability than the response obtained with the last setting.

In the second approach we will tune the two loops by using the Ziegler-Nichols method. In a linear controller only the proportional gain K is involved (Ti is set to a maximum value). Then we increase the proportional gain K until we observe continuous oscillations, that is, until the system becomes marginally stable. The corresponding gain Ku and the period of oscillation Pu are the used to compute the desired values of K and Ti. The formulas used are : K = 0.45Ku and Ti = Pu/2 (7)

A practical tuning fuzzy control system was designed and found to be effective in controlling the temperature at the top and the bottom plate of a distillation column. This tuning fuzzy control system has the following advantages : It is easily understood by the operator, it follows exactly the same procedure as the Ziegler procedure , it is simple to obtain, and the control system is able to be designed in an efficient manner. The results showed good effectiveness in terms of overshoot and settling time. References : [1] G. Stephanopoulos, " Chemical Process Control ", Prentice Hall , 1984 [2] P. Borne, F. Rotella, " Modlisation et identification des processus " , Dunob 1986 [3] F. Gene Franklin, " Feedback Control of dynamic systems ", Addison Wesley, 1995 [4] J. Ragot, M. Lamote " Fuzzy Logic Control ", INJ.J. Systems SCI., 1993, Vol 24 No 10 [5] W. L. Luyben , '' Process Modelling, Simulation, and Control for Chemical Engineers ", Mc Graw-Hill, Inc.. [6] H. Chaffouh, P. Dumond, "Fuzzy Control of multivariable systems",AMSE 1994 Vol 1. [7] E. King, " Application du contrle flou pour le pilotage des processus industriels " Institute of International Research Paris, October 1992. [8] Y. Hanakuma, Y. Irizuki, " Design of a self tuning fuzzy control system and its application to a distillation column ", International Chemical Engineering Vol. 34, No 1 [9] L. Tang, "Comparing Fuzzy Logic with Classical Controller Design" IEEE Transactions on systems, Man and Cybernetics, Vol .SMC 17 No 6 Nov 1987. [10] L. Zheng, " A practical guide to tune of like fuzzy controllers ", IEEE 1992. [11] S. Galichet, L. Foulloy, " Fuzzy controllers: Synthesis and equivalence ", IEEE 1995 [12] J. Ziegler, B. Nichols, " Optimum settings for automatics controllers ", Transaction of the A.S.M.E. November , 1942.

In a fuzzy controller we use the relations of formula number 5 . Here we will first choose Sd < Se/10 . And like for a classical linear controller we will increase the value of Su until we will observe continuous oscillations. The corresponding values Sum and Pu are then used to compute the desired values of Su and Sd. The formulas used are : Su = 0.45Sum and Pu/1.2 = Se/Sd (8)

Fig. 13a: Ultimate period of the top plate

Fig. 13b: Response of the top plate for a load variable change FL of 20 % In figure 13 is represented the ultimate periods and the response of the top plate temperature loop for a load variable change FL of 20 % . This response show the same effectiveness it terms of responsiveness and stability than the response obtained with the last setting.

5 Conclusion

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