Optimized continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing via model-predictive control.
This paper demonstrates the application of model-predictive control to a feeding blending unit used in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. The goal of this contribution is, on the one hand, to highlight the advantages of the proposed concept compared to conventional PI-controllers, and, on the other hand, to present a step-by-step guide for controller synthesis. The derivation of the required mathematical plant model is given in detail and all the steps required to develop a model-predictive controller are shown. Compared to conventional concepts, the proposed approach allows to conveniently consider constraints (e.g. mass hold-up in the blender) and offers a straightforward, easy to tune controller setup. The concept is implemented in a simulation environment. In order to realize it on a real system, additional aspects (e.g., state estimation, measurement equipment) will have to be investigated.
Institute of Automation and Control, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 21/B/I, 8010 Graz, Austria; Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: jakob.rehrl@tugraz.at.
Jakob
J
Rehrl
Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: julia.kruisz@rcpe.at.
Julia
J
Kruisz
Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: stephan.sacher@rcpe.at.
Stephan
S
Sacher
Institute of Process and Particle Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 13/III, 8010 Graz, Austria; Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH, Inffeldgasse 13, 8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: khinast@tugraz.at.
Johannes
J
Khinast
Institute of Automation and Control, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 21/B/I, 8010 Graz, Austria. Electronic address: martin.horn@tugraz.at.
Martin
M
Horn
D005544:Forecasting; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*
Continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing; Feeding blending unit; Model-based control; Model-predictive control