Comparison of several well-known controllers used in process control

Area of Science:

• Process Control
• Control System Design
• Automation Engineering

Background:

• Numerous control design methods exist, including PID control, Smith predictor, inferential control, internal model control, Dahlin controller, deadbeat control, and predictive control.
• These methods are widely adopted in industrial process control applications.
• Understanding the relationships between these techniques can lead to more unified and efficient control system design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationships and equivalencies among several well-known process control design methods.
• To derive a suboptimal Smith predictor.
• To provide insights into unifying these control techniques for improved system design.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of PID control, Smith predictor, inferential control, internal model control, Dahlin controller, deadbeat control, and predictive control.
• Derivation of a suboptimal Smith predictor.
• Theoretical investigation of the conditions under which these methods become equivalent.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that several distinct process control methods are equivalent under specific premises.
• Established a theoretical link between PID control, Smith predictor, and other advanced control strategies.
• A suboptimal Smith predictor was successfully derived.

Conclusions:

• The studied process control methods share underlying equivalencies, explaining their broad applicability.
• This unification offers a more integrated perspective on control system design.
• The findings facilitate a deeper understanding and potential combination of these powerful control techniques.