Process Control introduces an emerging area in process control -
control system analysis and design based on the concept of passive
systems. Passive systems are a class of processes that dissipate certain
types of physical or virtual energy, defined by Lyapunov-like functions.
Passivity and associated stability conditions form one of the
cornerstones in control theory and have recently begun to be applied in
process control. Defined as an input-output property, the concept of
passivity implies stability conditions for interconnected systems.
Passive systems are minimum phase and thus very easy to control via
output feedback, even if they are highly nonlinear and coupled.
Therefore, the passivity framework can be used in process input-output
controllability analysis as well as control design. Here, the concept of
passive systems is also linked to process thermodynamics to provide
process engineers with insights into the physical bases of the above
results.
In this book, passivity-based developments in the areas of robust
process control, decentralized control, fault tolerant control, process
controllability analysis and nonlinear process control are addressed
systematically for the first time. Written for the industrial,
engineering and academic communities, the emphasis is placed on results
that enhance insight and intuition. Application issues are illustrated
by case studies in all the main chapters. MATLAB(R) routines
for selected examples and a library of functions that implement the
system analysis and control design methods developed in Process
Control can be downloaded from springer.com. This book presents the
reader with both the conceptual framework and practical tools for
passivity-based system analysis and control.
