Speaker : Prof. Dominique Bonvin, Professor, EPFL, Switzerland

Title : Real-Time Optimization – Methods and Applications

Abstract: This presentation discusses real-time optimization (RTO) strategies for improving process performance in the presence of uncertainty in the form of plant-model mismatch, drifts and disturbances. RTO typically uses a plant model to compute optimal inputs. In the presence of uncertainty, selected model parameters can be estimated and the updated model then used for optimization. Although very intuitive, this two-step approach suffers from the fact that the model is almost invariably “inadequate”, which prevents from reaching the plant optimum. Other approaches have been developed in the last two decades to overcome this difficulty. Recently, a generic formalization of these ad hoc fixes has been proposed under the label modifier adaptation. The basic idea is to leave the model parameters unchanged but to use plant measurements to “appropriately” modify the optimization problem. We will discuss different ways of using plant measurements for process improvement in the presence of uncertainty. There are many questions to be addressed: (i) what can be done off-line prior to process operation and what should be performed in real time, (ii) how much of the optimization effort is model-based and how much is data-driven, (iii) what to measure, what to adapt, and how to adapt? The applicability of various approaches will be illustrated via two experimental case studies that include a fuel cell stack and a kite for energy harvesting.

About the Speaker: Prof. Dominique Bonvin is currently honorary Professor at the Automatic Control Laboratory of EPFL. He received his Diploma in Chemical Engineering from ETH Zürich in 1975, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara 1980. He worked in the field of process control for the Sandoz Corporation in Basel and with the Systems Engineering Group of ETH Zürich as senior lecturer. He joined the faculty of EPFL in 1989.  His current research interests include modelling, control and optimization of dynamic systems. In particular, he has worked extensively in the areas of real time optimization, jet scheduling for nonlinear flat systems, data driven methods for controller tuning and process chemometrics. He served as Director of the Automatic Control Laboratory for the periods 1993-97, 2003-2007 and again form 2012 –2018, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department in 1995-97 and Dean of Bachelor and Master Studies at EPFL for the period 2004-2011. He has supervised several doctoral and post-doctoral students and has more than 400 publications to his credit. He is IFAC Fellow since 2014 and is currently serving as senior associate editor for Journal of Process Control.