Investigation of an optimalising controller

Master Thesis

1969

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University of Cape Town

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This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of an optimalising controller and its behaviour when controlling a simulated plant. In addition certain theoretical aspects of optimalising control are presented. Design criteria and details of the circuitry of the experimental controller, built as part of this research project, are given. The necessity to deactivate the controller, for a certain period during each cycle of operation, is shown to be a result of measurement delay in the optimalising loop, and an expression for evaluating the deactive time is derived. Utilising describing function techniques, the steady-state response of the control system is predicted and the results are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results. The adaptive response of the system is investigated and it is shown that the bandwidth of the adaptive response maybe predicted from steady-state response characteristics. The limitations imposed upon both the steady-state and adaptive response, by measurement delay, are shown . With respect to the theory of optimalising control, a framework for stability analysis is developed and stability criteria for the basic optimalising control loop are derived.
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Includes bibliography.

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