Identification of the static characteristics of a multizone furnace

The identification of the static characteristics of an electric multizone furnace is considered. A gray box approach is utilized. The furnace is divided into segments both horizontally and radially, and physical equations are used to describe heat transfers between segments. The identification strategy seeks to estimate an accurate temperature profile of the furnace at steady-state using a smaller number of sensors. Results indicate that the correct trend of the profile is captured. However, the accuracy is limited by the presence of nonlinear distortion as is confirmed by averaged step tests.