title: Intuitive robust stability metric for PID control of self-regulating processes.
abstract: Published methods establish how plant-model mismatch in the process gain and dead time impacts closed-loop stability. However, these methods assume no plant-model mismatch in the process time constant. The work presented here proposes the robust stability factor metric, RSF, to examine the effect of plant-model mismatch in the process gain, dead time, and time constant. The RSF is presented in two forms: an equation form and a visual form displayed on robustness plots derived from the Bode and Nyquist stability criteria. This understanding of robust stability is reinforced through visual examples of how closed-loop performance changes with various levels of plant-model mismatch. One example shows how plant-model mismatch in the time constant can impact closed-loop stability as much as plant-model mismatch in the gain and/or dead time. Theoretical discussion shows that the impact is greater for small dead time to time constant ratios. As the closed-loop time constant used in Internal Model Control (IMC) tuning decreases, the impact becomes significant for a larger range of dead time to time constant ratios. To complete the presentation, the RSF is used to compare the robust stability of IMC-PI tuning to other PI, PID, and PID with Filter tuning correlations.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Chemical Engineering Program, CMBE Department, U-3222, 191 Auditorium Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-3222, United States.
authors.forename: Jeffrey E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Arbogast
authors.forename: Brett M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Beauregard
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Cooper