Dynamic modeling and hardware in the loop testing of chemical processes

This thesis presents a framework for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing of chemical plants. HIL testing is a widespread tool used in industry and academia to bridge the gap between computer simulations and physical experimentation. It provides many advantages to the standard development path of building a physical prototype and then running tests. Benefits of HIL testing include decreased development time, reduced cost, increased safety, and better control algorithm development. For this work, HIL testing consists of an emulated real-time chemical plant and a real physical controller. This HIL testing setup requires two main thrusts – the development of a dynamic model for chemical plants and the implementation of an emulated real-time plant and a real physical controller in hardware. A user-friendly, modular, scalable, dynamic, and nonlinear first principles modeling toolkit is developed in Matlab Simulink. The toolkit contains individual chemical plant components such as a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), pump, and valve. Experimental validation of the chemical concentration models and an example plant model are included. Next, for the hardware and control implementation tasks, National Instrument’s VeriStand software is used to integrate a Simulink model to run in real-time on NI hardware. A myRIO is used as a real physical controller, programmed in LabVIEW, to control the emulated real-time chemical plant running on a CompactRIO. A chemical plant which forms propylene glycol in a CSTR is utilized as a case study. However, the HIL testing framework developed is widely applicable to real physical systems to decrease development time and increase safety.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Kawamura, Malia L

Contributors dc:contributor

• Alleyne, Andrew G.

• Hardware-in-the-loop
• Dynamic modeling
• Controls

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2017 Malia Kawamura

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97451

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/97451