CAREER: Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks in Process Control

PI: Nael H. El-Farra机构：加州大学戴维斯分校提案编号：0747954标题：职业：过程控制中的无线传感器和执行器网络这是一项职业补助金，用于资助旨在使用无线传感器和执行器控制工业化学过程的研究和教育活动。现有的过程控制系统依赖于传感器、执行器和控制器，这些传感器、执行器和控制器通过专用的有线控制网络连接起来，以可靠地实现关键的控制目标，如稳定性、鲁棒性和设定点跟踪。最近，执行器和传感器技术、无线通信和数字电子技术的创新融合导致了低成本无线传感器和执行器的可用性，这些传感器和执行器可以很容易地部署并与现有的控制系统接口。通过额外的无线传感器和执行器网络（wsan）来增强现有的过程控制系统，为通过高密度传感和执行来增强和扩展过程控制技术的能力创造了新的机会，也为在不安全的区域部署过程控制技术创造了新的机会，这些区域可能无法通过有线方法进行检测。更多传感器数据的可用性、更多的驱动能力和工厂单元之间更多的相互通信使现有控制系统无法实现的目标得以实现，包括主动容错和实时工厂重新配置，以适应市场需求的变化。这些目标与过程控制和操作中的新兴范例相一致，处理？聪明的植物?解决方案。实现这种潜力需要从控制的角度处理这种新技术带来的基本挑战。低成本的无线局域网通常受到资源限制，其功率、计算和通信能力有限，并且可能由于现场干扰、设备故障或环境影响而偶尔不可靠。如果在控制器设计框架中不考虑这两个现实限制，则会严重限制wsan的性能和灵活性优势。受此启发，本研究的目标是解决与在化工厂部署无线传感器和执行器网络相关的基本问题，以增强现有过程控制系统以改善闭环系统性能。为实现这一目标，计划了若干项目，包括：(1)开发基于模型的控制、估计和调度策略，以实现理想的闭环性能，并优化利用WSAN资源；(2)开发处理通信中断和无线通信介质不可靠性的鲁棒控制方法；(3)将网络化控制、估计和调度方法应用于分布式能源发电中使用的大型化工厂和分布式燃料电池网络；(4)将研究成果整合到教育和推广活动中。除了网络分析和控制方法之外，本研究还将提供对wsan在增强过程控制系统中的功能和局限性的基本理解，深入了解控制和通信之间存在的权衡，并解决管理这些权衡的实际实施问题。更广泛的影响利用wsan增强现有过程控制系统是实现智能可重构工厂愿景的重要一步，该工厂利用先进的网络基础设施和通信技术将过程控制和操作与实时过程信息紧密集成。广泛的工业过程可能受益，包括大型化工厂和燃料电池网络，其中部署wsan有可能增强和扩展现有的控制技术。为了将研究成果和见解转化为工业部门，PI计划寻求与工业界的合作，在加州大学戴维斯分校和主要控制会议的背景下组织教程和研讨会，并开发用户友好的软件，以促进所开发方法的实际实施。计划开展一系列活动，将研究与教育相结合，包括将研究成果纳入本科和研究生水平的过程控制课程，撰写第一部关于网络过程控制的研究专著，本科生参与与美国国家科学基金会资助的加州大学戴维斯分校少数民族参与联盟项目合作的研究。开发过程控制面包板系统，以促进课程整合，并向来自代表性不足群体的高中生和大学生推广。

PI: Nael H. El-Farra Institution: University of California/DavisProposal Number: 0747954Title: CAREER: Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks in Process ControlThis is a CAREER grant to fund research and educational activities aimed at using wireless sensors and actuators to control industrial chemical processes.Intellectual meritExisting process control systems rely on sensors, actuators and controllers that are connected via dedicated, wired control networks to reliably achieve critical control objectives such as stability, robustness and set-point tracking. Recently, the convergence of innovations in actuator and sensor technologies, wireless communications and digital electronics has led to the availability of low-cost wireless sensors and actuators that can be easily deployed and interfaced with the existing control systems. Augmenting pre-existing process control systems with additional wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) creates new opportunities for enhancing and expanding the capabilities of process control technology through high density sensing and actuation, as well as deployments in unsafe areas that may be impossible to instrument with wired approaches. The availability of more sensor data, more actuation capabilities and more intercommunication between plant units enables the attainment of goals that cannot be achieved with existing control systems including proactive fault-tolerance and real-time plant reconfiguration to accommodate market demand changes. These goals are aligned with the emerging paradigm in process control and operations dealing with the development of ?smart plant? solutions. Realizing this potential requires handling the fundamental challenges that this new technology introduces from a control point of view. Low-cost WSANs are often resource constrained, with limited power, computation and communication capabilities, and may occasionally be unreliable due to interference in the field, device failure, or environmental impact. These two real-world limitations can significantly limit the performance and flexibility benefits of WSANs if not accounted for in the controller design framework. Motivated by this, the objective of the proposed research is to resolve the fundamental issues associated with the deployment of wireless sensor and actuator networks in chemical plants for the purpose of augmenting existing process control systems to improve closed-loop system performance. To achieve this objective, a number of projects are planned, including: (1) the development of model-based control,1 estimation and scheduling strategies that achieve the desired closed-loop performance with optimal use of WSAN resources, (2) the development of robust control methods that handle communication disruptions and the unreliability of the wireless communication medium, (3) application of the networked control, estimation and scheduling methods to large-scale chemical plants and distributed fuel cell networks used in distributed energy generation, and (4) integration of the research results into education and outreach activities. In addition to the networked analysis and control methods, this research will provide a fundamental understanding of the capabilities and limitations of WSANs in augmenting process control systems, give insight into the tradeoffs that exist between control and communications, and address practical implementation issues for managing these tradeoffs.Broader Impact Augmenting existing process control systems with WSANs is an important step towards realizing the vision of a smart reconfigurable plant which utilizes advanced cyber-infrastructure and communication technologies to tightly integrate process control and operations with real-time process information. There is a wide range of industrial processes that could benefit including large-scale chemical plants and fuel cell networks where the deployment of WSANs has the potential to enhance and expand existing control technology. To transfer the results and insight of the research into the industrial sector, the PI plans to seek collaborations with industry, organize tutorials and workshops both at UC Davis and in the context of major control conferences, and develop user-friendly software that will facilitate the practical implementation of the developed methods. A number of activities are planned to integrate the research with education, including incorporation of research results into undergraduate and graduate-level process control courses, writing the first research monograph on networked process control, undergraduate student participation in research in collaboration with the NSF- funded California Alliance for Minority Participation program at UC Davis, the development of a Process Control Breadboard system to facilitate curriculum integration as well as outreach to high-school and college students from under-represented groups.