Application of generalised predictive control to a temperature control process

The authors describe the application of the generalized predictive control (GPC) algorithm to control the temperature of a microcomputer-controlled water bath system. They highlight the ability of the algorithm to cope with the variation of the process dead time through some simulations and experimental results. They also investigate the effect of changing the design parameters of GPC for this system. Verification of the effectiveness of the algorithm is concluded through comparisons made with a self-tuning controller proposed by D.W. Clarke and P.J. Gawthrop (1975, 1979). The present investigation of the capability of the GPC to control the temperature of the water bath proves that the GPC algorithm can produce a good closed-loop response for this process and is also robust enough for processes with variable time delay. It is also shown that the design parameters of GPC are very flexible and easy to choose because they are integers