Fuzzy control of a fluidized bed dryer

Fluidized bed dryers are utilised in almost every area of drying applications and therefore improved control strategies are always of great interest. The nonlinear character of the process, exhibited in the mathematical model and the open loop analysis, implies that a fuzzy logic controller is appropriate because, in contrast with conventional control schemes, fuzzy control inherently compensates for process nonlinearities and exhibits more robust behaviour. In this study, a fuzzy logic controller is proposed; its design is based on a heuristic approach and its performance is compared against a conventional PI controller for a variety of responses. It is shown that the fuzzy controller exhibits a remarkable dynamic behaviour, equivalent if not better than the PI controller, for a wide range of disturbances. In addition, the proposed fuzzy controller seems to be less sensitive to the nonlinearities of the process, achieves energy savings and enables MIMO control.