Process Integrated Design within a Model Predictive Control Framework

In this work the Integrated Design of the activated sludge process in a wastewater treatment plant has been performed, including a linear multivariable predictive controller with constraints. In the Integrated Design procedure, the process parameters are obtained simultaneously with the parameters of the control system by solving a multiobjective constrained non-linear optimization problem, taking into account investment and operation costs. The mathematical optimization for tuning all parameters is tackled in two iterative steps. First, plant parameters are obtained using a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method, and secondly, a type of random search method is used to tune the controller parameters (horizons and weights) . Due to the difficulty to measure some variables, there has been also developed a Kalman Filter for state estimation. Copyright © 2005 IFAC