Robust Controller Design for a Heat Exchanger

The work deals with design and application of robust controllers for a shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is used for pre-heating of petroleum by hot water. The control objective is to keep the outlet temperature at a reference value. Two robust control techniques are used. In the first approach the robust PI controller design is based on plotting the stability boundary locus in the plane of controller parameters. The second technique is based on the small gain theorem. Presented simulation results confirm that designed robust controllers represent a viable alternative for successful control of heat exchangers.