The goal of ID2CON is to create support tools that simplify the design of a control system. To cope with the high complexity of industrial systems, we focus on a model-based control approach. While several tools exist for identification and model-based controls, there are still important unanswered questions that hinder their breakthrough: What is the correct model structure for a given system? Is my model good enough for the chosen controller? How complex must the model and controller be to achieve the objectives? Which type of controller offers the best compromise between performance and complexity? Several technological barriers make it difficult to answer these questions: (i) lack of an integrated approach to model identification and controller design for non-linear controllers, (ii) lack of tools to review models for controllers, and review model controller combinations, (iii) lack of tools for model structure selection and parameter estimation aimed at control, (iv) lack of tools for selection of model-based controllers as well as their tuning. In this project we will address these barriers and provide answers to the above questions using an integrated identification and control approach and the associated software tools.

Concrete objectives and criteria

The developed tools will focus on integrating identification and control. Using our support tools, process experts will be able to make the right choices and design good controllers so that identification or controller experts are no longer required. We will combine existing tools and specific new developments in an integrated framework identification scheme, allowing for

• assess models and controls;
• choose appropriate model structures and identify the models;
• choose appropriate types of regulators, design them and put them into service.

The framework will be demonstrated on two generic use cases as well as on the cases of the participating companies. To ensure the industrial relevance of the framework, we will test it against at least the 4 application requirements of the project partners:

• fast commissioning;
• combined dynamic and spatial models;
• models for different topologies;
• models for systems that change over the life cycle.