Diurnal and nocturnal pH control in microalgae raceway reactors by combining classical and event-based control...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Process Control
• Aquaculture Systems

Background:

• Optimal pH control is critical for raceway reactor performance.
• Traditional pH control is limited to daytime to minimize costs.
• This limitation can hinder overall system efficiency and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of 24-hour pH control in raceway reactors.
• To compare the effectiveness of traditional daytime control with a continuous/event-based approach.
• To demonstrate potential improvements in system performance and cost reduction.

Main Methods:

• Experimental comparison of control strategies on a raceway reactor.
• Implementation of classical PI control during daytime.
• Application of an event-based control approach during nighttime and daytime.

Main Results:

• Continuous pH control, including nighttime operation, is achievable.
• The event-based control approach demonstrated improved system performance.
• The combined PI and event-based control strategy reduced operational costs.

Conclusions:

• A hybrid pH control architecture combining PI and event-based methods is effective for raceway reactors.
• 24-hour pH control offers significant advantages over traditional daytime-only methods.
• This approach presents a promising strategy for optimizing raceway reactor efficiency and cost-effectiveness.