System analysis and synthesis of a predictive control system for the thermo-oxidative destruction of polymers in a periodic reactor

Abstract

The article analyses current issues concerning the synthesis of automated control systems for the technological processes of polymer degradation. A systematic approach to the synthesis of a control system allowed us to formulate general and specific control problems. To solve them, systemic relationships were established between the input and output parameters of the control object, the mathematical description of the process, and the values of the operational parameters of the process. The article describes the main stages and results of the synthesis of an automated system for proactive temperature management in the reactor for the thermal-oxidative destruction of polymers in a solution by means of reducing the pressure in the reaction zone. To implement the suggested control method, we designed a model and an algorithm for calculating the control magnitude, developed the software and synthesised the structure of the automated programmable control system. The control magnitude was calculated using the prediction horizon for the changes in the physico-chemical parameters. Implementation of the proposed control method revealed the high sensitivity of the quality indicators of the degraded polymer to minor temperature fluctuations in the reaction mixture. Based on the results of the study, the main technical requirements for the automated system were formulated and a method for correcting the value of the control signal was proposed.