Order reduction for nonlinear dynamic models of distributed reacting systems

Detailed ®rst-principles models of transport and reaction (based on partial di€erential equations) lead, after discretization, to dynamical systems of very high order. Systematic methodologies for model order reduction are vital in exploiting such fundamental models in the analysis, design and real-time control of distributed reacting systems. We brie¯y review some approaches to model order reduction we have successfully used in recent years, and illustrate their capabilities through (a) the design of an observer and stabilizing controller of a reaction-di€usion problem and (b) two-dimensional simulations of the transient behavior of a horizontal MOVPE reactor.