1

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Chemical Engineering Department
Modeling & Control of
Continuous Fluidized Bed
Dryers


BY
MOHAMMAD AL-HAJ ALI

Supervisor: Dr. Nabil Abdel-J abbar
Coadvisor: Dr. Rami J umah
2
Outlines
+Introduction.

+Modeling of Fluidized Bed Dryers.

+Model Identification.

+Control System Design.

+Conclusions.

+Recommendations.
3
Introduction
What is Drying ?.

Difficulties in Dryers Control:
1. The lack of direct, on-line and reliable methods for
sensing product moisture content.
2. The complex and highly nonlinear dynamics of
drying process, leading to difficulties in modeling
process adequately.

4
Research Objectives
1-Development of a rigorous mathematical model that
describes drying in continuous fluidized bed dryer.

2-Propose a multivariable control system that can handle
drying operation efficiently.

3-Design a state observer to estimate solid moisture
content, the key controlled variable.

5
Modeling
Control
Controller Design
Control Synthesis
System Identification
Step Testing
Model Solution
Model Development
Research Overview
6

Assumptions:
1- Spherical particles with uniform size.

2- Water diffuses radialy inside particles.

3- Negligible temperature gradients within the
particles.

4- Thermal equilibrium between particles and air.

5- The solids are well-mixed inside the dryer.
Model Development
7
Model Development

(1) Macroscopic Balance
8
Model Development
(2)Microscopic Balance
s
s eff s
s e i
i
eff
R r , 0 t @ ,
A D G
V ) Y Y ( G
r
M
0 r , 0 t @ , 0
r
M
R r 0 , 0 t @ , M M M
))
r
M
( D (
r t
M
= >

=
c
c
= > =
c
c
s s = = =
c
c
c
c
=
c
c
9
Model Development

}
}

=
t

t
=
t

=
+ =
t
=
t
0
f
f
R
0
2
s
dt
f
) t ( E M
M
)
t
exp(
1
) t ( E
)
t
exp( 1 f
M ) f 1 ( M f M
dr ) t , r ( M r
V
4
) t ( M
M to M lating Re Equations *
s
(3) Auxiliary Equations
10
Gas
Gas
Spouted Bed Fluidized Bed
Distributors
11
Continuous Model Solution Validation

Water Removal Rate g/min outlet Air Temperature C
Exp.
Run
No.
M.A. H.A.
Model Deviation
%
Exp. Model Deviation,
%
5
6
11
12
13
14
121.2
94.9
101.4
88.0
106.4
71.0
121.1
90.4
98.6
90.6
109.5
70.0
122.2
94.4
94
86.4
113
66.1
+0.87
+1.95
-5.98
-3.23
+4.7
-6.24
49
49.9
45.3
45.6
46.9
41.8
50.4
45.7
45.1
44.2
50.7
41
+2.86
-2.56
-0.44
-3.07
+8.10
-1.91
12
Unsteady State Simulation
13
14
15
Modeling
Control
Controller Design
Control Synthesis
System Identification
Step Testing
Model Solution
Model Development
16
Drying Process Variables

FBD

T
M
Y
Y
i
M
i

T
gi

G
Load Variables
Controlled Variables
Manipulated Variables
17
Step Testing
18
Model Identification
* Model identification is developing an empirical
model directly from experimental data.

* Model identification is used when:
1-The process is very complex.
2-Estimate unknown parameters.
3-The obtained model is very complex.

19
Input Signals
20
21
Results & Discussion
Models produced by Tai-Ji package

Continuous Transfer Function:




1 s
Ke
) s ( G
s
+ t
=
u
Discrete Transfer Function:
) z ( u
z a 1
z b b
) z ( Y
1
1
1
2 1

+
+
=
Discrete State Space Model:
k k k
k k 1 k
Du Cx y
Bu Ax x
+ =
+ =
+
22
Model Validation
23
Control Systems Design
Control Systems Design:
1-Conventional Controllers
Multiple Single-Loop Design.
2-Unconventional Controllers
Model Predictive Control (MPC) Design.

State Observer Design.
24
Modeling
Control
Controller Design
Control Synthesis
System Identification
Step Testing
Model Solution
Model Development
25
Control Loop Interactions
CV = [ T M Y ]
CV = [ T M ]
Drying Process




T
gi

G
M
T
26
Multiple Single-Loop
Control Loops Interactions.
Relative Gain Array (RGA) Analysis:
(
(
(
(

= A

=
(

= A
25 . 2 25 . 1 T
25 . 1 25 . 2 M
T G
K K
K K
1
1
1
1
gi
22 11
21 12
Loop Pairings:
Temperature of heating air-Temperature of the grains.
Inlet grains flow rate-Humidity of the grains.

27
Temperature of heating air-Temperature of the grains.
28
Inlet grains flow rate-Humidity of the grains
29
Multiloop Controller Design
30
31
Model Predictive Control (MPC)
MPC depends on using dynamic model of the process in the
control system.
y
sp

Reference trajectory
k k+p
k k+c
t
t
Manipulated variables
32
Closed-Loop Simulation
33
34
State Observer

The Problem
On-Line monitoring of unmeasurable properties.
1-Reliability.
2-Time.
3-Cost.

Approaches to solve the problem:



Remove it.
Estimate it.
35
Kalman Filter
Given:





Filter equation:
v Cx y
w Bu Ax x
+ =
I + + =

T 1 T T
1 T
W CV V PC PA AP P
V PC L
) x

C y ( L Bu x

A x

I I + + =
=
+ + =

36
Observer Performance

Incorrect estimates of initial conditions
37
Observer Performance
Providing estimates from noisy measurements
38
CONCLUSI ONS
The well-mixed model with internal diffusion control is suitable to
simulate drying of grains in continuous fluidized bed dryers.

The dynamic behavior of fluidized bed dryers can be approximated by
linear, first order transfer functions via system identification.

The multivariable system can be split up into two nearly autonomous
input-output pairs: temperature of heating air-temperature of the grain,
and inlet solid flow rate-humidity of the grain.

MPC strategy is more effective than PID strategy.

Kalman filter shows excellent performance for both moisture content
estimation and noise effects reduction.
















RECOMMENDATI ONS



Development of new fluidized bed dryer model by taking temperature
gradient inside the particles into account.

Real time implementation of control algorithms designed in this work.

Design multivariable control systems for batch fluidized bed dryers.