Grey-box models for steam soil disinfestation simulation

Agricultural and biological processes often involve complex phenomena that depend not only on time but also on other independent variables, like spatial coordinates. These processes are intrinsically distributed parameter systems whose modelling requires the adoption of (non linear) partial differential equation. Due to their complexity these models often involve parameters difficult to be estimated, require time-consuming computations and could be not suitable for control purposes. In this paper, a new model structure for the simulation of steam soil disinfestation processes has been developed. The proposed model is based on a grey-box structure and it is mainly constituted by a couple of lumped linear parameter varying (LPV) switching model. Attention is focused on the simulation of sheet steaming soil disinfestation processes that are nowadays gaining growing interest as an ecological alternative to methyl bromide fumigation. To this extent, the model has been identified and validated using real data collected during greenhouse and open field steam treatments. © 2003 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.