The Open Automation and Control Systems Journal

2014, 6 : 1058-1070
Published online 2014 December 31. DOI: 10.2174/1874444301406011058
Publisher ID: TOAUTOCJ-6-1058

Parameters Tuning via Simplex-Search based Model-Free Optimization for the Steam Generator Level Control

Guan Jian Sheng and Kong Xiangsong
School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen, Fujian 361024, China.

ABSTRACT

Control performance is critical to a control system. To improve the performance of the steam generator level control system, the control system parameters need to be optimized. Traditional parameters tuning methods, such as trial and error and Design of Experiments etc., are usually experience-based, cumbersome and time-consuming. To address the above inefficiencies, in this paper, the simplex-search based Model-Free Optimization(MFO) has been proposed to search for the optimal control system parameters. The optimized parameters will be gained to maximize the system’s control performance. Rather than traditional controller parameter tuning method, this method optimizes the control system by directly using measurements of control performance. An example of the PID parameters tuning for the steam generator level control was illustrated. The efficiency and the effectiveness of the Simplex-search based Model-Free Optimization – based control parameters tuning methodology has been verified through simulation experiments.

Keywords:

Steam generator level control, parameters tuning, simplex search, model-free optimization (MFO).