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Predictive control with PLCs

J.A. Rossiter and G. Valencia-Palomo
j.a.rossiter@shef.ac.uk, gvalencia@ith.mx
Advances in Process Control 2011.

Outline
1. Introduction
2. Background on MPC
3. PLC and implementation challenges
4. Efficient MPC algorithms

5. Practical implementation
6. Conclusions

Motivation
Despite numerous successful applications, MPC has still
narrow impact for low level control loops where PI still the
main option.
PFC the most varied range of industrial applications (in the
MPC family).

Reasons for the success of PFC

Promotion and support Training the technical staff.
Controller set up Tuning and maintenance.
Hardware Industrial standard.

Conclusion: There is an opportunity to propose more

rigorous, intuitive and simple MPC algorithms to be equally
embedded in cheap control units.

Predictive control

Predicted
Error

Predicted
input

MPC
strategy
Choose
predicted
inputs to
minimise
predicted
errors.

Modelling and constraints

Modelling (e.g. State space model)

Disturbance rejection and offset free tracking

Constraints

Model is
used to
form
predictions
and
compare to
constraints.
These
details not
core today.

Optimal MPC or OMPC

Prediction class (embed feedback into predictions)

Performance index (define good and bad predicted performance)

Optimal MPC (popular formulation for MPC)

Performance
Constraints
Use the first element of

in the control law with K.

Operating regions
Maximum admissible set (MAS):
nominal control law does not
violate constraints.
Maximum controllable
admissible set (MCAS):

prediction class can ensure

constraint satisfaction.
Usually the larger the number
of d.o.f., the larger the
MCAS or operating region.

OMPC Design issues

1. Stability.
Incorporate design features that guarantee stability in a sense
relevant to the control problem they aim to solve, i.e. stabilization,
tracking or disturbance rejection.
2. Feasibility.
Larger values of nc result in a larger MCAS.

3. Performance requirements.
Tighter performance demands often lead to smaller MCAS;
increasing the d.o.f. nc usually improves constrained optimality.
4. Computational complexity is affected by:
Number of constraints (ny ), number of optimisation variables (nc ),
class of optimisation problems, requirement for guarantees, .
5. Robustness.
Affected by choice of J and underlying feedback K.

PLC and challenges

Why a PLC?
Industrial standard and by far the most accepted computers
in industry.
Tailored for ease integration into on-site racks.
Ease to debug, dedicated I/O, communication, etc.
On-line monitoring and programming.
Redundancy in computations.

Allen Bradley PLC SCL500 processor family.

PLC and challenges

IEC 61131-3 Programming languages (3/5 available)
Ladder diagram.
More restrictive than
Function block diagram.
computers normally used
Structured text.
to implement MPC.

Ladder diagram language.

Function block diagram language.

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PLC challenges and solutions

Programming challenges with constrained MPC
Can allocate matrices but only one by one element
operations.
Program memory.
Computational time.
Recent work shows
Solution
this is possible
Constrained MPC
explicit solution
easy to code
SUMMARY: Replace on-line optimisation by either a simple
optimisation or a look-up table.

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Parametric implementations
The optimisation problem
for OMPC has a solution
of the form

That is, if the current

system state is in region
r, then use control law
r.
Hence this is a look up
table.

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Solutions 1:
Linear interpolation
Interpolate two unconstrained control laws, one with good
feasibility and one with good performance.
where

the optimisation is just a constraint check, and the

interpolation detunes the controller if necessary.
Useful concept that is used in several algorithms.
Linear interpolation is easy to code!

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Solutions 2:
Laguerre functions and mpQP
In optimal MPC, replace the normal pulse functions to
parameterise the input sequence with Laguerre functions:

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Laguerre functions and mpQP

Laguerre functions evolve over an infinite horizon thus
having a beneficial impact on feasibility.

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Parametric implementations and

Laguerre

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Simulations shows that with Laguerre functions, the MCAS and

number of regions are better than with conventional OMPC

LOMPC

OMPC

Solutions 3. A suboptimal
parametric solution
Construct
which is the union
of a nD cube and a nD crosspolytope.
Use regular
shapes to allow
for more efficient
search algorithms
and coding.

Polytope for the 3D case.

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Example of shape differences 2D

case
Stretch the polytope to the boundary of the MCAS of the
OMPC problem

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Suboptimal parametric algorithm

Those points at the vertices are stored with their
corresponding solution.
Due the regular definitions of the vertices of the region of
the actual initial point of be easily located.
The control law is the interpolation of the solution of the
vertices enclosing that region.

Uses the single variable interpolation; trivial to code!

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Practical implementation on a
PLC linear interpolation

Memory 17%

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Practical implementation on
laboratory equipment

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Practical implementation of
Laguerre based algorithm

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PLC coding for Laguerre MPQP

Memory 19%

Regions for speed process

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Laboratory
simulations of
Laguerre MPQP

PLC coding for suboptimal

parametric algorithm

Speed process
Memory 19%

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Simulation
results for
suboptimal
algorithm

Conclusions
Simple modifications to MPC can allow much simpler coding
and lower online computational loads.
These modifications allow a reduction in memory
requirements without severe performance degradation and
still retain guaranteed stability.
These algorithms can be coded in a standard PLC without
excessive memory and computational requirements.

It has been demonstrated that MPC is a realistic industrial

alternative to PID in loops primarily controlled with PLC
units. This final contribution opens up the potential for much
improved control of loops where PID may be a poor choice.

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Thank you