Adaptive control of hydrodynamic holdup in a karr extraction column

AbstractAn application of a Clarke‐Gawthrop self tuning regulator to control the dispersed phase holdup in a Karr reciprocating plate extraction column is presented. The frequency of reciprocation was used to control holdup because of its speed of response and low cost. The relationship between the frequency of reciprocation and the dispersed phase holdup is highly nonlinear, and, therefore an adaptive controller has to be used to control this process. Previous work (Kusuma, 1981) on holdup control has been extended to cover a wider range of operating conditions and to prevent covariance windup by including an empirical discounting factor. The experimental results focus on the operating region near to flooding since this is the most difficult to control and is often closest to the optimal operating point. The advantages and limitations of the empirical discounting factor are discussed.

Adaptive control of hydrodynamic holdup in a karr extraction column Journal Articles