Modeling of Harmonic Control Arrays using MATLAB/Simulink with an Application to a Hot Rolling Mill Process

It was recently demonstrated that the Harmonic Control Array (HCA) method is a successful control strategy for systems with periodic references or disturbances. To construct the required control signal to achieve zero steady-state error, the HCA appropriately modifies the complex levels of the harmonic components of the system input. In a real-time application, a discrete-time implementation is required for the method to be applied through a digital device since the signals and parameters involved are complex-valued. An efficient MATLAB/Simulink modeling of HCAs is explained step-by-step in this paper with an implementation on a typical test system. Then, the HCA performance is compared with an internal model control application on a hot rolling mill process.