Modified one-step-ahead prediction scheme for a practical pilot plant

This paper presents a practical design and implementation of an on-line one-step-ahead predictive control on a real pilot plant. Matlab and the pilot plant controller have been connected via OPC (OLE for Process Control) technique. After establishing the connection, the manipulated variable (MV) was stimulated in order to obtain an off-line least squares process model. Subsequently, the off-line model was utilized as an initial model for obtaining on-line Recursive Least Squares (RLS) model of the process. Afterwards, the concept of predictive control was implemented via one-step-ahead predictor control algorithm. Then the control performance of the one-step-ahead predictor was improved through some modifications in the controller formulation.