Nonlinear Model Predictive Control applied to E. Coli Cultures

Abstract: This paper proposes a nonlinear model predictive control scheme with particular application to the regulation of acetate concentration in order to maximize the biomass growth during fed-batch cultures of E. Coli. A reference feed rate which enables to maintain the acetate concentration at a specified level is first determined by means of optimal conditions. This feed rate is further used as the reference control trajectory within the NMPC algorithm. Finally, to avoid discretization problems during NMPC application, the on-line optimization is moved into a nonlinear programming strategy using the control vector parameterization approach (CVP). Some simulation results obtained on a fed-batch E. Coli bioreactor validate the efficiency of the proposed control strategy.