Control of a Multi-Stage Continuous Fermentor (MSCF) to mimic batch wine fermentation process:
An experimental setup of four tanks connected in series has been designed by the research unit SPO (Montpellier) for studying four physiological stages of yeast as steady state. The manipulated variables are the flow rates Q_i of each tank with the constraint Q_i>=Q_{i-1}>=0, and the objective is to reach simultaneously four set-points in the four tanks.
This work was conducted as a part of the European CAFE project (Computer-Aided Food processes for control Engineering).
Control of an ice cream crystallization process:
In the ice cream industry, the type of final desired product (large cartons or ice creams on a stick) determine the viscosity at which the ice cream has to be produced. The control the viscosity of the ice cream at the outlet of a continuous crystallizer is therefore an important challenge. The problem has been studied in two steps. First, we have completed and validated on experimental data the reduced order model of the system. This model has been obtained by application of the method of moments on a population balance equation describing the evolution of the crystal size distribution. Then, we have proposed a nonlinear control strategy to control of the viscosity of the ice cream with the temperature of the refrigerant fluid of the crystallizer. This control strategy is based on a linearizing control law coupled with a Smith predictor to account for the measurement delay. The control has been validated on an experimental pilot plant located at IRSTEA (Antony, France).
This work was conducted as a part of the European CAFE project (Computer-Aided Food processes for control Engineering)