Model Predictive Control of a Combined Heat and Power Plant Using Local Linear Models

Model predictive control has been applied to control of a combined heat and power plant. One of the main features of this plant is that it exhibits nonlinear process behavior due to large throughput swings. In this application, the operating window of the plant has been divided into a number of smaller windows in which the nonlinear process behavior has been approximated by linear behavior. For each operating window, linear step weight models were developed from a detailed nonlinear first principles model, and the model prediction is calculated based on interpolation between these linear models. The model output at each operating point can then subsequently be calculated from four basic linear models, and the required control action can subsequently be calculated with the standard model predicative control approach using quadratic programming.