Process Control Design for Industrial Applications

1Introduction – Models and Dynamic Systems

This chapter is a presentation of the issues surrounding the design and implementation of automatic control solutions for industrial applications. Currently, there is an increasing demand for setups that are productive and offer a good yield for the provider by means of modern concepts such as “embedded optimization” and “low-cost automation”. In this context, Automation and Applied Informatics, through their theoretical tools, as well as hardware and software resources, contribute toward the development of applications using the existing technologies as well as the emergent ones. Automation makes it possible to describe the evolution of a real process using an abstract mathematical model, and to introduce the necessary methods and mechanisms to design the advanced control systems that ensure an optimal operation of the process. On the other hand, Informatics, due to the hardware material and software tools available and the efficiency of its powerful computing and communication which contribute toward operations involving data processing, model development, design and identification of control methods, is vital for the optimization, surveillance and protection of industrial processes. The different classes of dynamic models (systems) associated with the processes, as well as the most important algorithms, methods and techniques used in the design of the control systems for industrial facilities, are briefly presented here.

1.1. Overview ...