A hybrid approach for supervisory control of furnace temperature

The temperature control of the reheat furnace is very difficult due to its complex characteristics. Based on expert knowledge and pyrology mechanism, a hybrid supervisory control system (an optimal setting model) has been developed innovatively to control its temperature. With the help of a statistical process controller, this hybrid supervisory control system can replace the human operator for most of operations in the process. Since an expert compensator is designed to suppress the external disturbance, the proposed model can automatically update the optimal set-point value for the furnace temperature of each zone under the varying boundary conditions. Both simulation and industrial experiment show the viability and effectiveness of the suggested model and its bright application foreground in thermal process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.