OPTIMIZED MULTILOOP CONTROL OF THE VAN DE VUSSE REACTOR USING RGA AND NONLINEAR PROGRAMMING

Mojtaba Azizi; Mohammad Amin Ghanavati; Omid Abedi

OPTIMIZED MULTILOOP CONTROL OF THE VAN DE VUSSE REACTOR USING RGA AND NONLINEAR PROGRAMMING

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Controlling multivariable, non-isothermal chemical reactors is especially important due to the complex behavior they often exhibit. In the Van de Vusse reactor, the presence of both parallel and consecutive reactions adds to this complexity by introducing strong temperature dependencies and tight interactions between process variables. These factors make achieving accurate and stable control a significant challenge. This study focuses on enhancing the reactor’s control performance by carefully selecting the most effective input-output pairings and optimizing the controller parameters. In the proposed approach, the most effective input-output pairings for applying multiloop control are first determined using the Relative Gain Array method. Once these pairings are established, the controller parameters for each loop are fine-tuned using nonlinear programming to achieve better overall performance. The simulation results show that the proposed optimization method significantly outperforms traditional manual tuning by improving system response, reducing the time to reach setpoints, and enhancing control stability. The main contribution of this work is the integration of the Relative Gain Array with nonlinear programming to optimally design and tune multiloop controllers for the Van de Vusse process. This combined approach leads to more accurate tuning and better dynamic performance, demonstrating its effectiveness for controlling complex chemical systems.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

no Supporting Institution

Ethical Statement

All submitted manuscripts to the Communications Faculty of Sciences University of Ankara Series B Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Journal, including original research articles, reviews, etc., must be accompanied by a signed Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure statement. This statement must be declared by the authors that they do not have any conflicts of interest. The absence of any direct or indirect financial interests or other situations that can lead to bias(es) in any scientific or commercial aspect of the work is acknowledged by agreeing to the following:  All authors have participated in (a) conceptualization, design, and/or analysis and interpretation of the data; (b) drafting or editing the article, meaningfully contributing to intellectual content; and (c) approval of the final version.  The authors have no affiliation with any organization with a direct or indirect financial interest in the subject matter discussed in the manuscript. The corresponding author can obtain the relevant information listed below from all co‐authors and submit the form on their behalf. Authors can individually disclose any potential COI privately to the Editor‐in‐Chief, upon receiving the submission email.

References

Suo, L., Ren, J., Zhao, Z., Zhai, C., Study on the nonlinear dynamics of the continuous stirred tank reactors, Processes, 8 (11) (2020), 1–18, https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8111436.
Hajaya, M. G., Shaqarin, T., Multivariable advanced nonlinear controller for bioethanol production in a non-isothermal fermentation bioreactor, Bioresour. Technol., 348 (2022).
Youssef, A. A. A., Salas, A. H., Al-Harbi, N., Basfer, N. M., Nassr, D. I., Determination of chemical kinetic parameters in Arrhenius equation of constant heating rate: Theoretical method, Alexandria Eng. J., 67 (2023), 461–472, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2022.12.046.
Petrucci, R. H., Herring, F. G., Madura, J. D., General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2010.
Bzioui, S., Channa, R., Robust tracking control for the non-isothermal continuous stirred tank reactor, Int. J. Bioautomation, 24 (2) (2020), 131–142, https://doi.org/10.7546/ijba.2020.24.2.000615.
Amte, V., Nistala, S., Malik, R., Mahajani, S., Attainable regions of reactive distillation-Part III. Complex reaction scheme: Van de Vusse reaction, Chem. Eng. Sci., 66 (11) (2011), 2285–2297, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2011.02.008.
Sahlodin, A. M., Barton, P. I., Optimal Campaign Continuous Manufacturing, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 54 (45) (2015), 11344–11359, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.5b01376.
Rothfuss, R., Rudolph, J., Zeitz, M., Flatness based control of a nonlinear chemical reactor model, Automatica, 32 (10) (1996), 1433–1439, https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-1098(96)00090-8.

Raghu, N., Ruchika, Analysis of Van de Vusse Reactor using Model Predictive Control, Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Adv. Eng., 3 (6) (2013), 236–240.
Huilcapi, V. R.-M., Blasco, X., Herrero, J. M., A Loop Pairing Method for Multivariable Control Systems under a Multi-Objective Optimization Approach, IEEE Access, 7 (1) (2019), 81994–82014.
Navrátil, P., Pekař, L., Matušů, R., Control of a Multivariable System Using Optimal Control Pairs: A Quadruple-Tank Process, IEEE Access, 8 (2020), 2537–2563, https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2962302.
Liu, L., Tian, S., Xue, D., Zhang, T., Chen, Y., Zhang, S., A Review of Industrial MIMO Decoupling Control, Automation and Systems, Int. J. Control, 17 (X) (2019), 1–9.
Chen, D., Seborg, D. E., Relative Gain Array Analysis for Uncertain Process Models, AIChE J., 48 (2) (2002), 302–310, https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.690480214.
Machado, V. C., Gabriel, D., Lafuente, J., Baeza, J. A., Cost and effluent quality controllers design based on the relative gain array for a nutrient removal WWTP, Water Res., 43 (20) (2009), 5129–5141, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2009.08.011.
Sankaranarayanan, D., Deepakkumar, G., Implementing the Concept of Relative Gain Array for the Control of MIMO System: Applied To Distillation Column, Int. J. Adv. Res. Electr. Electron. Instrum. Eng., 5 (5) (2007), 4648–4653.
Lakhani, A. I., Chowdhury, M. A., Lu, Q., Stability-preserving automatic tuning of PID control with reinforcement learning, Complex Eng. Syst., 2 (1) (2022), https://doi.org/10.20517/ces.2021.15.
Mhaskar, P., El-Farra, N. H., Christofides, P. D., A method for PID controller tuning using nonlinear control techniques, Proc. Am. Control Conf., 4 (2004), 2925–2930, https://doi.org/10.23919/acc.2004.1384356.
Blondin, M. J., Controller Tuning Optimization Methods for Multi-Constraints and Nonlinear Systems: A Metaheuristic Approach, SpringerBriefs in Optimization, Springer, Berlin, 2021.
Biegler, L. T., Nonlinear Programming: Concepts, Algorithms, and Applications to Chemical Processes, Mos-Siam Series on Optimization, SIAM, Philadelphia, 2010.
Ojeda-Elizarras, H., Maya-Yescas, R., Castro, S. H., Segovia Hernández, J. G., Castro-Montoya, A. J., Fuzzy Control of a Nonlinear System With Inverse Response: Van De Vusse Reaction, Int. J. Latest Res. Sci. Technol., 2 (6) (2013), 1–5.
Wang, H., Li, Y., Su, W., Zhang, Y., Guo, J., Li, C., Design and Control of Extractive Distillation Based on an Effective Relative Gain Array, Chem. Eng. Technol., 39 (12) (2016), 2339–2347, https://doi.org/10.1002/ceat.201500202.
Theorem, K., Pandey, S. K., A Novel Optimum Decoupling & Control of MIMO Systems based on Linear Matrix, Eng. Lett., 33 (5) (2025), 1671–1683.
Alsekait, D. M., Paring, RGA and System Stability in Distillation Column, Int. J. Mech. Eng., 7 (2) (2022), 974–5823.
Marlin, T. E., Process Control: Designing Processes and Control Systems for Dynamic Performance, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Hamilton, 2015.
Borase, R. P., Maghade, D. K., Sondkar, S. Y., Pawar, S. N., A review of PID control, tuning methods and applications, Int. J. Dyn. Control, 9 (2) (2021), 818–827, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40435-020-00665-4.
Garrido, J., Vázquez, J., Baños, A., Berenguel, M., Design of multivariable PID controllers using iterative linear matrix inequalities, Electronics, 13 (9) (2024), 1701.
Mukherjee, A., Jayaraman, A., Nag, A., Narasimhan, S., Rengaswamy, R., Hybrid static and dynamic neural models for nonlinear process systems, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 62 (16) (2023), 6378–6393.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Process Control and Simulation

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mojtaba Azizi This is me
0000-0001-6792-6551
Iran

Mohammad Amin Ghanavati This is me
0009-0004-8752-5340
Iran

Omid Abedi ^*
0009-0002-3779-4994
Iran

Early Pub Date

December 16, 2025

Publication Date

December 23, 2025

Submission Date

July 15, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 15, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 1970 Volume: 67 Number: 2

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA56WP97DG

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

Vancouver

1.Mojtaba Azizi, Mohammad Amin Ghanavati, Omid Abedi. OPTIMIZED MULTILOOP CONTROL OF THE VAN DE VUSSE REACTOR USING RGA AND NONLINEAR PROGRAMMING. Commun. Fac. Sci. Univ. Ank. Ser. B [Internet]. 2025 Dec. 1;67(2):10-44. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA56WP97DG