NSERC grants at Laurentian University Subventions du CRSNG `a l ...

119Helen (Huilan) ShangIdentification of distributed parameter systems by means ofthe combination of partial least square with Karhunen LoevedecompositionA grant of $19,000 per year.Une subvention de 19 000 $ par année.Discovery Grant – Subvention à la découverteDistributed Parameter Systems are widespread inindustry (e.g. metallurgical processes, fixed-bed reactors,polymer extrusion, and sheet coating processes).Conventional control approaches for these systemsuse the approximate simplified models and often leadto poor control performance. The control techniquesthat consider the inherent distributed nature of theprocesses yield higher performance and product quality,with substantial economic savings and less environmentalimpact.High performance control requires high fidelity models for distributed parametersystems. The proposed research will focus on the development ofempirical modeling techniques based on experimental or industrial operatingdata. The statistical tools of analyzing correlation between process variablesin both time and spatial directions will be used to produce models that reflectthe distributed nature of industrial processes. The resulting models will besuitable for control development. It is expected that the proposed researchhas the prospect of decreasing the gap between current theoretical researchand industrial applications in distributed parameter systems.The proposed research program explores a developing body of knowledgein the area of distributed parameter systems control. The proximity to thelocal mineral processing industry provides the potential application of theresearch results.