Design of modified 2-degree-of-freedom proportional–integral–derivative controller for unstable processes

Abstract

Concerning first-order unstable processes with time delays that are typical in chemical processes, a modified 2-degree-of-freedom proportional–integral–derivative control method is put forward. The system presents a two-loop structure: inner loop and outer loop. The inner loop is in a classical feedback control structure with a proportional controller intended for implementing stable control of the unstable process; the outer loop is in a 2-degree-of-freedom structure with feedforward control of set points, where the system’s tracking response of set points is separated from its disturbance response. To be specific, the system has a feedforward controller that is designed based on the controlled object models and mainly used for regulating the system’s set point tracking characteristics; besides, it has a feedback controller that is designed on the ground of direct synthesis of disturbance suppression characteristics to improve the system’s disturbance rejection. To verify the effectiveness, the system is put into a theoretical analysis and simulated comparison with other methods. Simulation results show that the system has good set point tracking characteristics and disturbance suppression characteristics.