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No description available.

This work reports the developnent of a mathenatical model and distributed, multi variable computer-control for a pilot plant double-effect climbing-film evaporator. A distributed-parameter model of the plant has been developed and the time-domain model transformed into the Laplace domain. The model has been further transformed into an integral domain confooning to an algebraic ring of polynomials, to eliminate the transcendental terms which arise in the Laplace domain due to the distributed nature of the plant model. This has made possible the application of linear control theories to a set of linear-partial differential equations • . The models obtained have well tracked the experimental results of the plant. A distributed-computer network has been interfaced with the plant to implement digital controllers in a hierarchical structure. . A modern rnultivariable Wiener-Hopf controller has been applled to the plant model. The application has revealed a limitation condition that the plant matrix should .be positive-definite along the infinite frequency axis. A new multi variable control theory has emerged fram this study, which avoids the above limitation. The controller has the structure of the modern Wiener-Hopf controller, but with a unique feature enabling a designer to specify the closed-loop poles in advance and to shape the sensitivity matrix as required. In this way, the method treats directly the interaction problems found in the chemical processes with good tracking and regulation perfo~noes. Though the ability of the analytical design methods to determine once and for all whether a given set of specifications can be met is one of its chief advantages over the conventional trial-and-error design procedures. However, one disadvantage that offsets to some degree the eno~us advantages is the relatively complicated algebra that must be employed in working out all but the simplest problem • . Mathematical algorithms and computer software have been developed to treat some of the mathematical operations defined over the integral domain, such as matrix fraction description, spectral factorization, the Bezout identity, and the general manipulation of polynomial matrices. Hence, the design problems of Wiener-Hopf type of controllers and other similar algebraic design methods can be easily solved.

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Modelling and control of non-linear systems are not easy, which are now being solved by the application of neural networks. Neural networks have been proved to solve these problems as they are described by adjustable parameters which are readily adaptable online. Many types of neural networks have been used and the most common one is the backpropagation algorithm. The algorithm has some disadvantages, such as slow convergence and construction complexity. An alternative neural networks to overcome the limitations associated with the backpropagation algorithm is the Radial Basis Function Network which has been widely used for solving many complex problems. The Radial Basis Function Network is considered in this theses, along with a new adaptive algorithm which has been developed to overcome the problem of the optimum parameter selection. Use of the new algorithm reduces the trial and error of selecting the minimum required number of centres and guarantees the optimum values of the centres, the widths between the centres and the network weights. Computer simulation usmg SimulinklMatlab packages, demonstrated the results of modelling and control of non-linear systems. Moreover, the algorithm is used for selecting the optimum parameters of a non-linear real system 'Brushless DC Motor'. In the laboratory implementation satisfactory results have been achieved, which show that the Radial Basis Function may be used for modelling and on-line control of such real non-linear systems.

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No description available.

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Research considered investigates the optimal control problem which is constrained by a hyperbolic conservation law (HCL). We carried out a comparative study of the solutions of the optimal control problem subject to each one of the two di erent types of hyperbolic relaxation systems [64, 92]. The objective was to employ the adjoint-based optimization to minimize the cost functional of a matching type between the optimal solution and the target solution. Numerical tests were then carried out and promising results obtained. Finally, an extension was made to the adjoint-based optimization approach to apply second-order schemes for the optimal control problem in which also good numerical results were observed.